American Radio Relay League confirms $1 million ransom payment
The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) paid a $1 million ransom for a decryptor that helped restore systems encrypted in a May ransomware attack [...]
Stay secure with the latest encryption news, trends, and best practices in information security. Protect your data with cutting-edge cryptography.
Search across headline titles and summaries.
Background for this topic.
Encryption transforms readable data into ciphertext using an algorithm and a key, so someone who obtains the ciphertext cannot normally understand it without the required key. It protects confidentiality for data in transit, such as traffic between services, and at rest, such as files, databases, and backups. Encryption does not by itself prove who sent data, prevent tampering, or protect plaintext displayed on a compromised endpoint.
Its security therefore depends on implementation and key management. Attackers may target stolen, exposed, or overprivileged keys, weak algorithms or protocols, poor randomness, and systems that decrypt data unnecessarily. Use modern, authenticated encryption where appropriate; protect keys separately from encrypted data with tightly limited access, rotation and revocation procedures, and monitored use. Verify that encryption covers relevant backups and internal service links, while recognizing that lost keys can make recovery impossible and that encrypted traffic may still reveal metadata such as timing or endpoints.
The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) paid a $1 million ransom for a decryptor that helped restore systems encrypted in a May ransomware attack [...]
Robert Boyce on Accenture's Strategy for Assessing the Behavior of Ransomware GangsAccenture Global Cyber Resilience Lead Robert Boyce outlines why organizations must assess the stability of ransomware groups before deciding how to respond to extortion threats. He outlines how trustworthiness of ransomware gangs can affect the likelihood of receiving decryption keys after payment.