Remember that this kind of ransomware is a pyramid scheme: if you pay it, you're not really paying for your stuff back. You're paying to infect your friends and other people. Who financed the attack on your stuff? Anyone who payed the ransom previously.
Never pay a ransom. Turn the request over to the government:
the government literally exists to assure rule of law.
If we were okay with a "might makes right" world, we wouldn't need government or the rule of law. The government literally exists so this stuff doesn't happen.
If you finance it, you're a criminal and a terrorist, and you are paying for them to infect me. You are literally paying for cyber attacks. Not metaphorically but in the most direct possible terms.
Don't do it. And if you're a criminal, don't develop it. I feel this is not being stated clearly enough these articles - the people developing it are obviously talented engineers: they could be using their skills constructively. It's important to make it very clear that what they're doing is wrong, and supporting them is wrong. This isn't an optional thing. They need to stop doing this, shut down their networks, and go do something constructive with their skills. It's people's duty to let them know this, and to report these things. It's a waste of everyone's time, especially theirs.
By the way it takes considerable intelligence and engineering skill to be technically able to hold for ransom a device at a distance. I am certain that these engineers are reading this comment.
I can easily consider that they did not even consider the ethical side in evaluating the list of requirements and completing them. Articles which don't call their attention to this don't help.
This isn't a nuisance: it's criminal behavior that needs to be reported to the government, and never, ever paid for or encouraged. My grandparent comment got downvoted heavily but I am keeping it. If you're a programmer who is doing this, stop.
That's why Chicago is so safe. because of all the laws making it harder to get guns.
And why it's so hard to get drugs. Because of all the laws that say "You're a bad person if you use Weed" and put people who deal with drugs into prison for their first offense.
All we need to do is expand that mindset and we'll have no hackers before we know it.
Never pay a ransom. Turn the request over to the government:
the government literally exists to assure rule of law.
If we were okay with a "might makes right" world, we wouldn't need government or the rule of law. The government literally exists so this stuff doesn't happen.
If you finance it, you're a criminal and a terrorist, and you are paying for them to infect me. You are literally paying for cyber attacks. Not metaphorically but in the most direct possible terms.
Don't do it. And if you're a criminal, don't develop it. I feel this is not being stated clearly enough these articles - the people developing it are obviously talented engineers: they could be using their skills constructively. It's important to make it very clear that what they're doing is wrong, and supporting them is wrong. This isn't an optional thing. They need to stop doing this, shut down their networks, and go do something constructive with their skills. It's people's duty to let them know this, and to report these things. It's a waste of everyone's time, especially theirs.