[ChainOfFools]

that's malware, not new.

the ransom part, at the scale possible with cryptocurrency, is new.

those who sound "silly" are the ones elaborately pretending that this formerly obscure class of electronic extortion didn't suddenly explode into an epidemic with the concomitant rise of cryptocurrency.

[grlass]

true, though arguably it's a good thing. In the sense that it moves more of the costs of malware to the organisations that are meant to be securing the data. Previously, these costs were more borne by customers/clients/etc, and thus not taken as seriously - abstract costs and externalities.

Putting a clear number of the cost of poor cybersecurity should push more organisations to actually do something about it.

[ChainOfFools]

no. mugging is not "good" because it incentivizes people to take karate classes.

what an inhumane and cynical take.

[grlass]

Theft was happening anyway via malware, it's just fewer of the costs were being borne directly. And as data collection increases, those indirect costs are getting higher.

Now the organisation has more at to lose at first pass, rather than just data subjects.