Helping companies pay ransoms to digital extortionists is kind of an odd business.

On the one hand, you “negotiate” with cybercriminals and in so doing may drive down the costs of recovering from a particular ransomware incident. On the other hand, you’re helping criminals get paid, funding their operations and making further attacks more likely.

And there’s always a temptation built into this kind of work. Seeing lucrative sums being whisked away through cryptocurrency exchanges and “mixing services”… Realizing from up close just how vulnerable companies are… Learning that modern ransomware can operate as a service where you essentially “rent” the code from its developers in return for a cut of the profits…

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Origianl Creator:
Nate Anderson

Original Link: https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/11/fbi-arrests-ransomware-clean-up-experts-for-planting-ransomware/
Originally Posted: Fri, 07 Nov 2025 12:30:44 +0000