alt Hacker NewsThere's one more piece that matters.
If no one pays the ransoms, but people believe that large ransoms are paid-- you still have the crime.
There's one more piece that matters.
If no one pays the ransoms, but people believe that large ransoms are paid-- you still have the crime.
The obverse is true - because a ransom organization is dependent upon their reputation, a company claiming to have paid and received confirmation from the group could prevent them from releasing it as well.
The general public (including the next victims) don't have a way to confirm if payment was made. ShinyHunters would have to choose between arguing publicly that they were not paid or not releasing the data to protect their own reputation...