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Ransomware, the Price Is Going Up!

To pay or not to pay, that is the question!

Shakespeare never had the "to pay or not to pay" in any of his plays, but today cities, counties, hospitals, companies — you name it — are grappling with the question about ransomware. See Second US town pays up to ransomware hackers.

The fact that they have cyberinsurance is one factor in making that decision. If the "co-pay" is only $10K on $500K that makes it sound like a pretty good deal, as long as they don't come back for more.

I'm also thinking that the cost of cyberinsurance is going to be going up with the number of attacks and payouts.

Lately I've heard law enforcement saying that you should not pay, since there is no guarantee that the hackers won't be back for more. Speaking of costs going up, it is also apparent that hackers have added a zero to their ransom demands. The money is good if you can get it!

Steve Myers shared the link above. 

Eric Holdeman is a contributing writer for Emergency Management magazine and is the former director of the King County, Wash., Office of Emergency Management.