Is anyone really paying these ransoms in bitcoins often enough to make that a compelling reason to hold them?
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Is anyone really paying these ransoms in bitcoins often enough to make that a compelling reason to hold them?
Believe it or not... Yes - many companies pay the ransom to get the code to un-encrypt their hard drives and get back up and running.
How come the numbers reported on the ransom are so low? I heard the most recent one was under $10000.
Most articles I have read say that ransom-ware attacks agains small and mid-market businesses ask for $50,000.
Sure, that's what they ask for. What do they get?
What about the reports of wipes happening even after paying? Only fools negotiate with terrorists, though I guess there could be many foolish companies.
It's certainly a gamble. Pay $50,000 and possibly get back up and running or refuse to pay and lose valuable time and possibly go out of business.
Here is a good article on the subject:
http://www.denverpost.com/2016/10/23/small-companies-cyber-attack-out-of-business/
You are correct, sometimes victims pay and don't get an encryption key that works. For many businesses, paying $50,000 is worth it for a shot at getting the ransom ware lifted. However, it usually takes a while to buy bitcoin if you don't have any and don't have an account, so it's worth holding some so you at least have the option to act quickly.