[mashlol]

I'm ignorant but I've never understood why people actually pay the ransom. Aren't the attackers anonymous? What stops them from asking for another $Y after they get their $X, and not actually removing the ransomware? There's not much incentive for the attackers to actually do what they say after you pay them, right?

[vasco]

These attackers have made it clear they will release your data. They have done that many many times exactly because they know the target needs to believe they will release it. They even have customer support to help the targets recover everything.

[glandium]

It's not really hard, but they reportedly have better customer support than e.g. Google.

[Sayrus]

As crazy as it sounds, having a reputation to honor the unlocking of data is a great way to get other victims to pay. However, I'd be more suspicious of promises of data deletion.

[trashtester]

This is exactly it. And it's a much broader principle than just ransoms. Any organization/group that live outside of an established legal system depends on being seen as honorable if they want to have any relationships with other organizations/groups.

This applies to criminal groups (and individuals), clans in places like Afghanistan or Somalia and even to whole countries when dealing with each other.

Essentially, such groups are playing repeated games of Prisoner's Dilemma. They need to be seen as playing a tit-for-tat strategy. If they are known for playing always-defect (or always-cooperate), other "players" will (if rational) play always-defect against them.

This means they need to be honorable in that they keep their promises. But if someone disrespects them, they also must be predictable vengeful.

[TeMPOraL]

The difference between regular business and organized crime is more that of a degree than that of a kind. Criminals may have less respect for law, greater risk tolerance, and go to greater extremes to acquire their customers, but at the end of the day, if they want people to pay them, they need to be known to deliver.

[billpg]

As King Æthelred II "The Unready" learnt, once you pay the Danegeld, the Dane leaves you alone and never bothers you again.

[user3939382]

Extracting future ransoms can rely on their reputation