Adam Shostack  Mar 19, 2024

Banning ransomware payments is an incredibly attractive idea.

Proponents need to explain why it’s going to work any better than bans on buying drugs. Why will two “willing” participants not going to find a way? What do we gain by adding criminal penalties to victims trying to recover their businesses?

Show threadPlacMar 19, 2024
@adamshostack Not everybody can pay 10 US$ millions on black money to hackers. If insurance can't pay it (it will be illegal), it just must come from own funds. This will be on the books and can be audited (pubic companies require regular auditing).
Forbidding ramsonware payments should divert money to better IT security, more priority to best IT practices and destroy most of the ramsonware market. So yes, I'm pro ban.
Show threaddaveyk00Mar 19, 2024
@placandeker @adamshostack wouldn't it be to "recovery specialists" for decryption services, who ultimately forward the money sans fees to the ransomware orgs?
Show threadPlac
@daveyk00 @adamshostack Fiscal engineering needs time and planning. It also can be traced and brings responsibility to management. It is not the same to pay pocket money in a dark alley than buying a million US$ equivalent in Bitcoin. If they don't manage to plan a Netscaler update during normal operations, I doubt they will plan how to hide illegal payments while managing a crisis.
Mar 19, 2024 at 8:33amWeb