I think that this is basically a case of the Prisoner's dilemma. In the long-term, big-picture, it would be best not to cooperate, but each business that has b

I think that this is basically a case of the Prisoner's dilemma. In the long-term, big-picture, it would be best not to cooperate, but each business that has been targeted is in a situation where they need immediate access to their files. Their immediate survival is at stake and they can't afford to make an investment in the long-term view. While it doesn't exactly parallel the formal statement of the dilemma (all victims not participating wouldn't get their files back), in the long term it does by removing the motive for creating the ransomware in the first place. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner%27s_dilemma https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner%27s_dilemma