Security News > 2024 > January > Ransomware payment ban: Wrong idea at the wrong time

Opinion A general ban on ransomware payments, as was floated by some this week, sounds like a good idea.

Such a ban would need to be universal or else ransomware crews will simply focus on victims in other geographic regions that don't prohibit payments.

Another roadblock is the lack of security maturity across sectors, which Megan Stifel, chief strategy officer for the Institute for Security and Technology and the executive director of the IST's Ransomware Task Force, pointed out in an earlier interview with The Register.

According to security shop Emsisoft's count, at least 108 K-12 districts and 72 post-secondary schools fell victim to ransomware crews in 2023, compared to 45 ad 44, respectively, a year earlier.

Some 95 government entities experienced ransomware infections last year, compared to 106 in 2022.

Having said that, a ban on ransomware payments is becoming more palatable than it was even a couple years ago, and this year's international Counter Ransomware Initiative summit, held at the White House, is one such indication.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/06/ransomware_payment_ban_wrong_idea/