Security News > 2022 > February > Ransomware extortion doesn't stop after paying the ransom
A global survey that looked into the experience of ransomware victims highlights the lack of trustworthiness of ransomware actors, as in most cases of paying the ransom, the extortion simply continues.
38% of ransomware attacks threatened to use stolen data to extort customers.
35% of ransomware attacks threatened to expose stolen data on the dark web.
"The bad news is that attackers are following through on extortion threats, even after the ransom has been paid! This means CISOs are under much more pressure because a successful attack is much more likely to create a full scale service disruption that affects customers."
60% of them opted to negotiate with the attackers, and many of them ended up paying ransom more than once.
In summary, the best approach for victims is not to give in to ransomware demands but instead restore systems and data from backups and alert the law enforcement and data protection authorities of the incident.