Why Paying to Delete Stolen Data is Bonkers
Summary: A Coveware report cited by Krebs on Security says nearly half of all ransomware cases now include a threat to release stolen data, and that victims who pay for deletion often see some or all of the data published anyway. Coveware advises clients never to pay a data deletion ransom, but to engage privacy attorneys, investigate what was stolen, and notify affected customers under breach notification laws.
Bottom line: Unlike a decryption key, a deletion promise has no finite end - a threat actor can return for a second payment at any point in the future, and Emsisoft's Fabian Wosar notes the data was already lost at the moment it was exfiltrated.
Read the original at Krebs on Security ↗
- Topics
- Threat Actors & Nation-State
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