June 24, 2021

FBI Director Chris Wray on Wednesday urged public companies and other hacking victims to never consider paying ransoms, saying he feared this would only encourage cyber criminals to expand their attacks.

The Justice Department said it helped Colonial Pipeline Co recover some $2.3 million in ransom money to hackers – an attack that led to widespread shortages at gas stations on the East Coast.

Wray said Wednesday that the FBI is experiencing increasingly sophisticated types of ransomware attacks and cyber thieves are increasingly demanding larger sums.

He said businesses and communities that fall victim to ransomware attacks should consider going to the FBI as soon as possible and not hesitate.

For more information, read the original story in Reuters.