Security News > 2023 > December > A tale of 2 casino ransomware attacks: One paid out, one did not

A tale of 2 casino ransomware attacks: One paid out, one did not
2023-12-28 17:05

From the outside, at least, it appears that Caesars suffered minimal pain and business disruption primarily because it decided to pay the ransom.

"Paying a ransom is like cutting the cheese in a packed elevator: it makes other people suffer," Emsisoft threat analyst Brett Callow told The Register.

"Put simply, companies that pay keep ransomware alive and ensure other companies will be attacked. If nobody paid, there'd be no more ransomware."

There are a number of factors that play into a company's decision to pay or not pay a ransom, according to incident responders.

"In some cases we have worked, the organization refused to pay the ransom, and then the level of extortion that played out afterwards was so intense, the organization told us they regretted not just paying them in the first place," Rubin said.

FBI pumps 'significant' resources into snaring data-theft crew US officials close to persuading allies to not pay off ransomware crooks.


News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/12/28/casino_ransomware_attacks/