In 2021, North Carolina became the first state to prohibit public ransomware payments, even going so far as to ban negotiations with cyber criminals. It was a groundbreaking move. Florida followed suit in 2022, but its legislation took a less stringent approach, covering a narrower range of entities and omitting some of the stricter provisions found in North Carolina’s law.
North Carolina and Florida’s bans are the only ones that exist at the state level, but they have ignited a nationwide conversation about the best way to combat this pervasive cyber threat. Years later, experts still haven’t come to a unified conclusion about whether it’s the right approach. The heart of the matter lies in a moral and fiscal dilemma: Should governments refuse to fund criminal enterprises, even when the alternative could mean crippling disruptions to essential services like hospitals, schools and public safety?
Read more…
Source: Government Technology
Related:
- Beyond Compliance: How Financial Institutions Can Meet New Fraud-Sharing Mandates While Respecting Privacy
March 30, 2026
Authorized Push Payment (APP) fraud is one of the most damaging forms of digital deception. The pattern repeats itself thousands of times each year: an email from the bank’s security team warning of suspicious activity. A phone call that follows immediately. The caller ID matches. The “fraud prevention officer” knows details about recent transactions. Within minutes, ...
- Bogus Avast website fakes virus scan, installs Venom Stealer instead
March 27, 2026
A fake website impersonating Avast antivirus is tricking people into infecting their own computers. The site looks legitimate, runs what appears to be a virus scan, and claims your system is full of threats. But the results are fake: when you’re prompted to “fix” the problem, the download you’re given is actually Venom Stealer—a type of ...
- Commission investigates cyberattack targeting EU websites
March 27, 2026
The European Commission has announced that it is investigating a cyber attack that took place on Tuesday, targeting its cloud infrastructure hosting the ‘europa.eu’ websites and leading to a data leak. “Early findings of our ongoing investigation suggest that data have been taken from those websites,” it said in a statement on Friday evening, adding that ...
- Iranian hackers allegedly breached FBI Director Patel’s personal emails
March 27, 2026
Hackers breached FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal email, according to sources familiar with the situation. The majority of the emails were from prior to 2019, according to sources, and appear to be from before his tenure at the FBI. There were a few emails from 2022, sources told ABC News. “The FBI is aware of malicious ...
- Coruna: the framework used in Operation Triangulation
March 26, 2026
On March 4, 2026, Google and iVerify published reports about a highly sophisticated exploit kit targeting Apple iPhone devices. According to Google, the exploit kit was first discovered in targeted attacks conducted by a customer of an unnamed surveillance vendor. It was later used by other attackers in watering-hole attacks in Ukraine and in financially motivated ...
- Infiniti Stealer: A new macOS infostealer using ClickFix and Python/Nuitka
March 26, 2026
A previously undocumented macOS infostealer has surfaced during our routine threat hunting. Malwarebytes Labs researchers initially tracked it as NukeChain, but shortly before publication, the malware’s operator panel became publicly visible, revealing its real name: Infiniti Stealer. This malware is designed to steal sensitive data from Macs. It spreads through a fake CAPTCHA page that tricks ...