Should You Pay a Ransomware Demand?

Facing locked files and a countdown is frightening. Think carefully before paying.

Risks of paying

• No guarantee you receive a working decryption tool.
• It funds criminals and may mark you as a payer.
• You may be attacked again.
• Payments may breach sanctions or regulations.

Better steps

• Isolate affected devices.
• Report to authorities and your insurer.
• Seek expert incident response help.
• Check for free decryption tools from reputable projects.
• Restore from backups.