Mayors in the United States have collectively declared that they’ll no longer meet attackers’ ransom demands in connection to a digital security event.
At its 87th annual meeting, the U.S. Conference of Mayors approved a resolution entitled, “Opposing Payment To Ransomeware Attack Perpetrators.” This decree makes clear that the Conference, the official non-partisan organization of cities with populations of at least 30,000 people, will no longer work with attackers in the event of a ransomware infection. As quoted in the passed motion:
…[P]aying ransomware attackers encourages continued attacks on other government systems, as perpetrators financially benefit[.]… [T]he United States Conference of Mayors has a vested interest in de-incentivizing these attacks to prevent further harm[.] [N]ow, therefore, be it resolved, that the United States Conference of Mayors stands united against paying ransoms in the event of an IT security breach.