FBI to Congress: ransomware payments shouldn't be banned

A top FBI official told Congress that lawmakers should not make ransomware payments illegal as it tracks 100 active ransomware groups.

Bryan Vorndran, assistant director of the FBI's cyber division, said July 27 at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that making the payment illegal could result in further extortion by cybergangs, according to a July 27 CNN report.

"If we ban ransom payments now, you're putting U.S. companies in a position to face yet another extortion, which is being blackmailed for paying the ransom and not sharing that with authorities," Mr. Vorndran said.

There have been debates over whether to make paying ransoms to cybergangs illegal. Mr. Vorndran said the FBI is tracking more than 100 active ransomware gangs, NBC News reported July 27. Making payments illegal could cut off a major income source for the networks of hackers.

"It's a really complicated conversation, but it's our position that banning ransom payments is not the road to go down," Mr. Vorndran said.

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