Digital hostages: Leveraging ransomware attacks in cyberspace

Abstract

Global institutions face costly infrastructure disruption from cyberthreats such as ransomware attacks. The global threat of ransomware attacks has continued to increase over time. Although it is important to conduct a cost-benefit evaluation and to weigh the risks prior to engaging, a new emerging option of dealing with ransomware attacks should be considered. I outline an interdisciplinary approach to cybernegotiation combining features of online dispute resolution and terrorist hostage theory. In this novel cyber-based dispute system design, the Wade and seek method is the application of traditional hostage negotiation theory used to help businesses mitigate the costs of ransomware attacks.