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That's weird. It's like saying it should be illegal to give your wallet to a mugger.
by tshaddox 4y ago
That's weird. It's like saying it should be illegal to give your wallet to a mugger.
- californical 4y agoIt’s more like the mugger already has your wallet, but says they’ll give it back if you make a $1000 donation to their criminal organization, going around normal law enforcement. I’d guess that’s also illegal, but IANAL.
- bee_rider 4y agoIt is not very similar I think — in a mugging the “don’t pay” downside is violence, possible death. In a ransomware situation, the victim is basically making an economic decision — is the cost of losing their files greater than the cost of the ransom. The cost of dying is basically infinite, the cost of paying the ransom can be shifted up and down with fines until it is high enough to disincentivize paying.
- tshaddox 4y agoI don’t know. A mugger could make other threats too that aren’t direct bodily injury or death. It could be “pay me money or I’ll burn down your restaurant” (that’s more like a protection racket than a “mugging”). That’s pretty similar to the threat to one’s livelihood that many of these ransomware attacks constitute.
- bee_rider 4y agoYeah, that’s more of a protection racket. Mugging is essentially by definition backed by the threat of violence I’m pretty sure. Possibly a bluff of course!