They Paid the Ransom Demand but the Decryptor Doesn’t Work – Surprised?

For C-suite executives and security leaders, discovering that your organization has been hit by ransomware—your systems locked and data stolen—represents one of the most distressing moments in professional life.  

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Unfortunately, for some victims of the Hazard ransomware, paying the ransom only made things worse. After paying to receive a decryptor, they found it didn’t work, compounding the disaster.

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Although details remain scarce due to the victim organization’s refusal to comment, it’s clear they made the tough decision to pay the criminals. Likely motivated by fears of data privacy issues, operational downtime, or reputational damage, the decision to pay was painful enough.  

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However, after paying, not being able to recover their files was a devastating blow.

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"Ransomware as a whole is extremely stressful for the victim," Mark Lance, ransomware negotiator at GuidePoint Security, told The Register. "Now in this circumstance, specifically, where they've made the payment and the decryption tools don't work," the stress only intensified.

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When an updated decryptor also failed, and the criminals eventually stopped communicating. This is a stark reminder that “paying a ransom isn’t a guarantee of data recovery.”

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Takeaway: The debate surrounding whether organizations should pay ransom demands in the event of a ransomware attack has sparked considerable discussion among cybersecurity experts in recent years.  

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While the straightforward recommendation might be to never pay, as this would undermine the financial incentives for cybercriminals, the reality is far more nuanced. The right approach depends heavily on the context, particularly the nature of the organization and the potential consequences of prolonged downtime.

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For certain businesses, such as retailers, refusing to pay a ransom might align with their risk management strategies, even if this results in temporary revenue loss while systems are restored. They might choose to rely on backups and endure operational downtime, knowing that their business can survive the disruption.  

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However, the stakes are considerably higher for organizations like hospitals, where delayed access to critical systems could threaten human lives. In such cases, the decision to pay a ransom becomes more complex and weighted with ethical concerns.

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This distinction underscores why experts are divided on the issue of ransom payments. Some argue in favor of paying the ransom as a pragmatic solution, believing it to be the fastest and easiest way to regain access to critical data.  

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For certain organizations, paying the ransom might seem like the least costly option, especially if they face significant operational losses or reputational damage from extended downtime. For these organizations, restoring data as quickly as possible may outweigh the potential downsides of paying.

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Those advocating for paying often emphasize that the cost of ransom can, in some cases, be lower than the financial consequences of business interruption or the costs associated with complex data restoration from backups. In situations where a swift resolution is paramount, particularly for life-saving services like healthcare, paying the ransom might be perceived as the lesser of two evils.

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On the other side of the debate, experts warn against paying ransom under any circumstances, pointing out that doing so only incentivizes further criminal activity. Cybercriminals are motivated by financial gain, and the more successful ransom payments they receive, the more emboldened they become to continue attacking.  

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A major argument against paying is that it does not guarantee the safe return of data. There are numerous cases where victims paid the ransom, but the decryption key provided by the attackers either didn’t work or was corrupted, leaving the organization with lost data and wasted money.  

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Even when the decryption key seems to function as intended, there is still a risk that data could be corrupted in the process, rendering it unusable.

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Additionally, paying the ransom often invites future attacks. Cybercriminals may view organizations that have previously paid as easy targets, knowing that they are likely to pay again if attacked.  

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In many instances, the same threat actors return with demands for higher ransom payments, further exacerbating the financial impact of the initial breach. The cycle of paying only encourages more ransomware activity across the broader cyber landscape.

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Critics also argue that paying the ransom doesn’t address the root cause of the problem: the vulnerabilities in the victim’s systems that allowed the ransomware attack to occur in the first place. Focusing on ransom payments instead of enhancing security measures only perpetuates the risk of future incidents.  

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A stronger emphasis should be placed on implementing preventative measures, such as regular system updates, comprehensive backup strategies, employee training on cybersecurity risks, and employing advanced detection and response technologies. These measures reduce the likelihood of falling victim to ransomware and mitigate the damage if an attack does occur.

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While paying a ransom may seem like an expedient solution in the midst of a crisis, it is fraught with risks and ethical concerns. Organizations must weigh the short-term benefits against the long-term consequences, not just for themselves but for the broader cybersecurity landscape.  

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By investing in preventative measures and resilience strategies, organizations can better position themselves to withstand ransomware attacks without having to rely on paying criminals to recover their data.

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Halcyon.ai is the leading anti-ransomware company that closes endpoint protection gaps and defeats ransomware through built-in bypass and evasion protection, key material capture, automated decryption, and data exfiltration prevention – talk to a Halcyon expert today to find out more. Halcyon also publishes a quarterly RaaS and extortion group reference guide, Power Rankings: Ransomware Malicious Quartile.