UK proposal would forbid ransom payments by gov’t agencies, but will it meaningfully decrease ransomware attacks?

The UK government on Tuesday proposed an order that would forbid all government agencies and other government entities from making any ransom payments, regardless of circumstances. But security experts were skeptical that the measure would work in any meaningful way. The government statement, the result of a months-long public consultation, was explicit. “Public sector bodies and operators of critical national infrastructure, including the NHS [National Health Service], local councils, and schoo...