Pay Once, Get Attacked Again Free

Here we go again with the brilliant strategy of bribing criminals: Minnesota's Winona County emptied $50,000 in insurance and $78,000 from local levy funds on advice from cybersecurity consultants, only to suffer a repeat cyberattack anyway. Clearly, attempting to secure an organization by funding the extortionists' retirement plans offers precisely zero protection against subsequent invasions. Another Tuesday, another taxpayer-funded reminder that negotiating with attackers remains entirely futile.