Does giving the hacker what it wants appease it situation or does it fully solve the issue? Expert Carl Herberger outlines the results and ramifications of paying a ransomware request. He argues that while it is significantly easier in the short run to pay the ransom, once it is demanded and your system has been affected, it increases your risk of future attacks. It is addressed that a large majority of ransomware attacks are carried out on people that may have outdated technology, like dentist, local law firm, or even a college student.
Because of increased protection for larger companies, hackers are moving away from targeting these larger companies. By casting a wide net on small businesses, they are able to extort smaller amounts of money from more sources. By demanding a smaller sum of money, it becomes much easier for the victim to give in to the request and pay the ransom than to take the difficult and timely steps to remove the ransomware. The argument continues on to address that if a company gives into the demands of ransomware you are essentially negotiating with terrorists and only incentivizing cyber-terror further.