> Out of curiosity, how is paying randomware all that much different from handing a mugger your money? The difference is obvious: not handing the mugger your m

> Out of curiosity, how is paying randomware all that much different from handing a mugger your money? The difference is obvious: not handing the mugger your money is an immediate threat on your life. You won't die just because you didn't pay a ransomware operator. > And is it also illegal to pay kidnappers? The article already answered that: in some countries, it already is. "[...] In response to a wave of kidnappings by organized crime, Italy prohibited ransom payments in 1991. Colombia and Switzerland have also made ransom payments illegal. The Group of Seven has a long-standing policy of refusing to pay ransoms for hostages of terrorist groups."