A second Florida municipality paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to ransomware extortionists. Such actions set a terrible precedent and greatly encourages criminals to target cities. Additionally, those who cave and pay the demands will earn a reputation of being an easy victim. In many cases not all data is recovered intact and attackers are motivated to leave-in backdoors that they can use at a later date to re-infect systems.
Yes, it can be expensive and impactful to resist. It will take time to rebuild and restore systems and data. Learn the lesson, put ransomware prevention, detection, and response capabilities in place. It is better to invest in stronger cybersecurity versus paying criminals to continue to advance and victimize others.
Cyber criminals go where the money is! Don't pay.
BBC News: Second US town pays up to ransomware hackers https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-48770128
