There's no easy fix to the worsening ransomware epidemic

Banning all, or nearly all, ransomware payments would cut out criminals' profit motive, especially if it could be tightly enforced, and panellists said it is a good end-goal for policymakers to aim at. — 123rf.com

Ransomware attacks will continue as long criminals find them profitable — but cutting off this revenue stream is easier said than done, according to experts speaking during an Aug 25 Institute for Security and Technology (IST) panel.

Policymakers need to work to reduce the frequency with which ransomware sufferers give in to extortion demands, but should avoid jumping straight to banning payments, panellists suggested.