DataBreaches.Net

Menu
  • About
  • Breach Notification Laws
  • Privacy Policy
  • Transparency Report
Menu

Decreasing ransomware attacks: two strategies to consider

Posted on March 18, 2024 by Dissent

Experts agree that a ban on ransom payments should decrease ransomware attacks, but concerns about implementing any ban are not trivial. Here are two ideas to consider.

Proposal 1: Increasing the Sanctions List

Expanding the sanctions list to include every ransomware group with a leak site might make threat actors less likely to threaten victims with exposure and data leaks. It would also make victims less likely to pay. Significantly, though, it would eliminate groups’ claims about their reputation and the free publicity they get from media reports based on leak sites.

Would LockBit and BlackCat even have the reputations they have if they had not been able to promote themselves as LockBit and BlackCat? Take away their ability to advertise themselves as a brand.

If a hypothetical group, “Your Trustworthy Criminals” (YTC), cannot sign a ransom note with their group name because their group name is on the sanctions list, and if victims cannot pay them because of the sanctions list and have no reason to trust any note from strangers, what will YTC do? They might try to extort clients or patients directly, but they won’t make much that way.

Proposal 2: Add Mandatory Criminal Charges

Add criminal charges of reckless indifference or attempted homicide to anyone involved in a conspiracy related to attacking a hospital or facility that provides life-saving care. Set minimum mandatory sentences to be served consecutively, not concurrently, with any other charges. Whatever the role — selling access, encrypting, exfiltrating data, negotiating payment, money laundering — any involvement in an attack on a hospital or urgent care facility is part of a conspiracy that shows reckless indifference to life and should be prosecuted as such. Law enforcement should loudly warn young hackers that involvement of any sort will result in mandatory prison terms over and above any sentencing for hacking.

Many of the criminals are not in the U.S. and may never be extradited here, but any affiliates in North America or countries that would extradite should think about whether they might want to stand trial here for attempted murder of hundreds of people.

What Do You Think?

If you agree with either or both of my ideas, please pass them along to those who can act on them because I don’t have a seat at the table for the cool kids or influencers.

 

 

Related posts:

  • Dual Russian And Israeli National Extradited To The United States For His Role In The LockBit Ransomware Conspiracy
  • Two Foreign Nationals Plead Guilty to Participation in LockBit Ransomware Group
Category: BlogCommentaries and AnalysesMalware

Post navigation

← What Austin ISD said led to student information being released to non-guardians
The 2024 Breach Barometer reports a staggering 171 million patient records breached. And that’s just the ones we know about. →

Now more than ever

"Stand with Ukraine:" above raised hands. The illustration is in blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine's flag.

Search

Browse by Categories

Recent Posts

  • McDonald’s McHire leak involving ‘123456’ admin password exposes 64 million applicant chat records
  • Qilin claims attack on Accu Reference Medical Laboratory. It wasn’t the lab’s first data breach.
  • Louis Vuitton hit by data breach in Türkiye, over 140,000 users exposed; UK customers also affected (1)
  • Infosys McCamish Systems Enters Consent Order with Vermont DFR Over Cyber Incident
  • Obligations under Canada’s data breach notification law
  • German court offers EUR 5000 compensation for data breaches caused by Meta
  • Air Force Employee Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Disclose Unlawfully Classified National Defense Information
  • UK police arrest four in connection with M&S, Co-op and Harrods cyberattacks (1)
  • At U.S. request, France jails Russian basketball player Daniil Kasatkin on suspicion of ransomware conspiracy
  • Avantic Medical Lab hacked; patient data leaked by Everest Group

No, You Can’t Buy a Post or an Interview

This site does not accept sponsored posts or link-back arrangements. Inquiries about either are ignored.

And despite what some trolls may try to claim: DataBreaches has never accepted even one dime to interview or report on anyone. Nor will DataBreaches ever pay anyone for data or to interview them.

Want to Get Our RSS Feed?

Grab it here:

https://databreaches.net/feed/

RSS Recent Posts on PogoWasRight.org

  • DeleteMyInfo Wins 2025 Digital Privacy Excellence Award from Internet Safety Council
  • TikTok Loses First Appeal Against £12.7M ICO Fine, Faces Second Investigation by DPC
  • German court offers EUR 5000 compensation for data breaches caused by Meta
  • How to Build on Washington’s “My Health, My Data” Act
  • Department of Justice Subpoenas Doctors and Clinics Involved in Performing Transgender Medical Procedures on Children
  • Google Settles Privacy Class Action Over Period Tracking App
  • ICE Is Searching a Massive Insurance and Medical Bill Database to Find Deportation Targets

Have a News Tip?

Email: Tips[at]DataBreaches.net

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

Contact Me

Email: info[at]databreaches.net

Mastodon: Infosec.Exchange/@PogoWasRight

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

DMCA Concern: dmca[at]databreaches.net
© 2009 – 2025 DataBreaches.net and DataBreaches LLC. All rights reserved.