Security News > 2020 > January > Some Hackers Take the Ransom and Run: Researchers
Paying off hackers after a ransomware infection could end up being a total loss, according to a study released Thursday which finds some attackers just take the money and run.
A survey by researchers at the security firm Proofpoint found that 33 percent of organizations infected with ransomware opted to pay the ransom.
Some 22 percent of those who paid a ransom said they never got access to their data locked up by the malware, and nine percent said they got hit with additional ransom demands after paying.
The researchers surveyed some 600 security professionals in seven countries and found that 65 percent of the organizations represented got hit by some kind of ransomware, which encrypts data on a system to make it inaccessible.
"Ransomware has the power to immobilize critical infrastructure and disrupt necessary services. An organization in this situation may conclude that paying the ransom is the most expedient - and cheapest - way to get up and running again."