As ransomware rages, debate heats up on response

A hooded man holds laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. Capitalizing on spying tools believed to have been developed by the U.S. National Security Agency, hackers staged a cyber assault with a self-spreading malware that has infected tens of thousands of computers in nearly 100 countries. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Illustration

City services in Baltimore, US were paralysed earlier this year when a ransomware attack locked up computer networks and made it impossible for residents to make property transactions or pay their municipal bills.

Officials refused to meet hacker demands for a ransom of US$76,000 (RM312,000) to unlock the systems, but have been saddled with an estimated US$18mil (RM73.9mil) in costs of restoring and rebuilding the city's computer networks.