[timothevs]

They insist the hackers ‘verifiably’ deleted their copy of the data. I’d like to see how one verifies that ‘all’ copies were destroyed.

[aboringusername]

Asks for ransom to delete data

Press release goes out, saying the data was "deleted"

Send another ransom, maybe 5 BTC, otherwise data is released

Insert taps on head meme

[toyg]

Second time around, there is no real incentive to pay - fool me once etc etc

Imho it’s much better to just sit on it for a few months, then hit the usual forums to market it as high-quality data.

[TheOtherHobbes]

The incentive to pay is that it nukes Blackbaud's credibility and trustworthiness, and likely destroys the entire business.

To a criminal that's easily worth an ask of 5BTC - or perhaps x% of annual profits in perpetuity.

An extortion scam is likely to be worth more than the data.

[toyg]

Reputational damage happens anyway, once news of the first breach/ransom goes out (which it will, it’s increasingly mandated by law). Second time around they might as well fold.

A prolonged extortion scheme can only be done on a low-scale highly-targeted basis, where you can ensure word doesn’t get out.