Apparently they ended up having to do just that even after paying the ransom:
"The decryption software provided by the hacking group DarkSide, notes Bloomberg, was reportedly 'so slow' that Colonial Pipeline 'continued using its own backups to help restore the system.'"
I mean if you have backups then sure, don't pay. Every case won't be that simple. It also seems a bit odd that they'd pay if they truly had all the backups they needed.
"The decryption software provided by the hacking group DarkSide, notes Bloomberg, was reportedly 'so slow' that Colonial Pipeline 'continued using its own backups to help restore the system.'"
Source- https://mashable.com/article/colonial-pipeline-paid-bitcoin-...