Why You Should Never Pay a Ransom

Jason Riley
Oct 13
2 min read

The Illusion is Choice

When ransomware strikes, the pressure is immediate and overwhelming. Criminals deliberately design their attacks to make you feel helpless. Screens lock, files vanish, and a countdown timer begins. The message is clear: “Pay us, or lose everything.”

But that “choice” is an illusion. Paying the ransom doesn’t guarantee your data will be restored. It simply rewards criminals for exploiting you and fuels their cycle of attacks. In reality, paying is just rolling the dice with your business’s future.

The Risks of Paying Up

Handing money to cybercriminals might feel like the fastest way out, but the risks are far greater than most realise:

No guarantee of file recovery – Many victims never get their files back, even after payment. Some only receive partial recovery, leaving critical data lost forever.
Encourages further attacks – Every ransom paid tells attackers their method works. Worse, your business may be marked as a “payer,” making you a repeat target.
Puts a target on your business for next time – Criminals share information. Once you’ve paid once, your details could be sold on to other threat groups, multiplying the danger.

What looks like a quick fix can actually trap your business in an ongoing cycle of extortion.

Prevention is the Only Safe Option

The only way to truly protect your business is to stop ransomware before it ever gets a chance to lock your files. This is where Sophos Intercept X Advanced changes the game:

Block ransomware in real time – Advanced AI and behaviour-based detection stop threats before they cause damage.
Contain threats before they spread – Even if an endpoint is compromised, Sophos isolates the threat and prevents it from moving across your network.
Protect files with rollback technology – If ransomware does sneak through, built-in rollback instantly restores your files, without you paying a cent.

With prevention, you regain control. You’re no longer reacting under pressure—you’re staying ahead of the attack.

Don't Pay a Ransom and Gamble with Your Future

Every day, Australian businesses are forced offline by ransomware. Some never recover. The smarter investment isn’t paying ransoms after the fact—it’s preventing the attack in the first place.

At Arafura Consulting & Media, we specialise in helping Territory businesses deploy Sophos Intercept X Advanced so you can operate with confidence.

Don’t gamble with your business. Secure your systems today and keep cybercriminals out for good.