By DeadSwitch | The Cyber Ghost
“In silence, we rise. In the switch, we fade.”
Let’s call it what it really is: a transaction.
Ransomware isn’t just a cyberattack anymore. It’s a business model—a cold, calculated industry where hackers don’t just steal, they negotiate. And the worst part?
Companies are playing along.
Once upon a time, ransomware was a criminal act that demanded a hard stance: Don’t pay the ransom. Fight back. Secure your systems.
Now? It’s a line item in the budget.
Executives aren’t asking, “How do we prevent ransomware?”
They’re asking, “How much will it cost us to just pay up and move on?”
This isn’t cybersecurity. This is extortion on autopilot.
THE NEW RACKET: COMPANIES CHOOSE TO PAY
Forget Hollywood hackers in dark rooms.
Ransomware groups are structured businesses—fully staffed, with customer support hotlines, data leak sites, and even service-level agreements for returning stolen files.
They aren’t hiding in the shadows. They’re out in the open, because they know companies will pay.
💰 It’s cheaper to pay than to secure systems.
💰 It’s easier to pay than to fix internal incompetence.
💰 It’s faster to pay than to deal with headlines.
Executives don’t see security as an investment. They see it as an expense.
And when the inevitable breach happens, the smart financial decision—in their twisted logic—is to pay the ransom and move on.
They won’t harden their defenses.
They won’t educate their employees.
They won’t change anything at all.
They’ll just pay, patch, and wait for the next attack.
THE STAKES: EVERY RANSOM FUELS THE NEXT ATTACK
Here’s the brutal truth: Every company that pays a ransom is funding the next breach.
Every payout strengthens the ransomware economy.
Every negotiation encourages more attacks.
Every quiet settlement makes them bolder.
And don’t think for a second that paying guarantees anything.
Hackers don’t have honor—they have leverage.
🔹 You pay? They might still leak your data.
🔹 You pay? They might come back later for more.
🔹 You pay? They’ll share your company’s name with other groups as an easy target.
You aren’t buying safety—you’re funding your own destruction.
THE UGLY REALITY: RANSOMWARE IS A BUSINESS CHOICE
If security mattered, companies would fight back.
They’d invest in defenses.
They’d train their employees.
They’d implement real incident response plans.
But they don’t.
Because ransomware isn’t an emergency anymore.
It’s just another business decision.
This is the corporate reality:
They would rather budget for a ransom than fund a real security program.
🔹 Why train employees when you can write a check?
🔹 Why harden defenses when you can pay the criminals?
🔹 Why care about cybersecurity when the insurance covers it?
The ransomware cycle is deliberate—because executives allow it to exist.
And until that mindset changes, ransomware will never stop.
THE ONLY SOLUTION: BREAK THE CYCLE
Here’s how we win:
No negotiations. No ransoms. No compliance with criminals.
🚨 Make backups. Make them offline. Make them untouchable.
🚨 Segment your network. Isolate critical systems.
🚨 Harden access controls. Assume breach.
🚨 Train your people. Make security a reflex, not an afterthought.
🚨 Call out weak leadership that normalizes paying criminals.
If companies refuse to take ransomware seriously, they’re part of the problem.
No more excuses. No more “cost-benefit” calculations.
Either defend what’s yours, or accept that you’re feeding the enemy.
DeadSwitch out.
Tom's IT Cafe 