You are working at eHarbour and find that your computer system has been hacked by an unknown attacker. Your coworkers also discover they have no access to their computer systems. Daniel Hudson then receives an email to his personal email address from a random person demanding a payment of $50,000 to have eHarbour’s computer systems restored. The navigation software is still working for users, but the computer attack has affected other non-critical company systems. The email includes a link to pay the ransom to a third party off-shore account. At this time, eHarbour does not have cybersecurity insurance.
Discuss the following:
Should the ransom to restore computer systems be paid?
Should the police be notified?
What can be done to prevent ransomware attacks in the future?