Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The push to ban ransom payments is gaining momentum

socket.dev

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 173 posts

Re: The push to ban ransom payments is gaining momentum

#61

Post by TeMPOraL »

Sayrus wrote: post #57
mashlol wrote: post #54

I'm ignorant but I've never understood why people actually pay the ransom. Aren't the attackers anonymous? What stops them from asking for another $Y after they get their $X, and not actually removing the ransomware? There's not much incentive for the attackers to actually do what they say after you pay them, right?

As crazy as it sounds, having a reputation to honor the unlocking of data is a great way to get other victims to pay. However, I'd be more suspicious of promises of data deletion.

The difference between regular business and organized crime is more that of a degree than that of a kind. Criminals may have less respect for law, greater risk tolerance, and go to greater extremes to acquire their customers, but at the end of the day, if they want people to pay them, they need to be known to deliver.

Re: The push to ban ransom payments is gaining momentum

#63

Post by iansinnott »

coldtea wrote: post #52

The blackmail part is already illegal, so the criminals wont care one way or another. It's the victims that would now have two problems: damned if they pay, damned if they dont. It's not like the criminals will be at any increased risk or effort either. They're criminal operations already doing other criminal stuff, most of the work is automated (via viruses, bots, etc), and they already couldn't take the payments op…

The idea would be to reduce the likelihood of a payout.

Re: The push to ban ransom payments is gaining momentum

#64

Post by mr_toad »

kazinator wrote: post #9

> Ransomware is a profit-driven enterprise. If it is made unprofitable, most attacks will quickly stop. This is conjecture presented as fact. Here is an alternative conjecture: what if ransomware is mainly a sociopathically-driven enterprise, with a side interest in profit? Or what if a good chunk of it is? How many ransomware perpetrators have we captured, and subjected to psychological study, to be able to confiden…

> what if ransomware is mainly a sociopathically-driven enterprise

It would be easier and safer to just destroy the data or cause other damage and walk away.

Re: The push to ban ransom payments is gaining momentum

#66

Post by billpg »

mashlol wrote: post #54

I'm ignorant but I've never understood why people actually pay the ransom. Aren't the attackers anonymous? What stops them from asking for another $Y after they get their $X, and not actually removing the ransomware? There's not much incentive for the attackers to actually do what they say after you pay them, right?

As King Æthelred II "The Unready" learnt, once you pay the Danegeld, the Dane leaves you alone and never bothers you again.

Re: The push to ban ransom payments is gaining momentum

#67

Post by russdill »

coldtea wrote: post #52

The blackmail part is already illegal, so the criminals wont care one way or another. It's the victims that would now have two problems: damned if they pay, damned if they dont. It's not like the criminals will be at any increased risk or effort either. They're criminal operations already doing other criminal stuff, most of the work is automated (via viruses, bots, etc), and they already couldn't take the payments op…

And you can get them on the way out. Blackmail them again once they've made the payment as it's a crime

Re: The push to ban ransom payments is gaining momentum

#68

Post by banish-m4 »

pluto_modadic wrote: post #12

Good. as someone who works in cybersecurity, I think hackers should get $0 from the victim, possibly get caught by police, and I think companies that get hacked should have to sit with their actions and DO BETTER for their customers.

Yep. Make it a crime to pay ransoms. No data is worth enabling and enriching criminals. Have tested backups stored offsite. If you fail at that, then you fail at business and deserve to go out of business.

Re: The push to ban ransom payments is gaining momentum

#69

Post by Gibbon1 »

coldtea wrote: post #53
Gibbon1 wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well we start with say you, you trade some of your bitcoin holdings, the feds seize your winnings, fine you and toss you in prison.

Why start with the person trading bitcoin holdings or any other action for that matter? Why not just give the police arbitrary power to fine and toss in prison anybody? Sounds like getting to that with extra steps.

Well what you're doing is actually a felony already.

https://www.federalcriminallawyer.us/securities-fraud/

Re: The push to ban ransom payments is gaining momentum

#70

Post by coldtea »

iansinnott wrote: post #63
coldtea wrote: post #52

The blackmail part is already illegal, so the criminals wont care one way or another. It's the victims that would now have two problems: damned if they pay, damned if they dont. It's not like the criminals will be at any increased risk or effort either. They're criminal operations already doing other criminal stuff, most of the work is automated (via viruses, bots, etc), and they already couldn't take the payments op…

The idea would be to reduce the likelihood of a payout.

If this doesn't reduce the likelihood of ramsomware (because it's low effort to just send and see what happens) then it's only a problem for the victims
Post reply on HN