An expose from ProPublica found a New York-based company secretly paid the ransom to SamSam hackers. The decision to pay a ransom in the case of a ransomware attack can be a complex one for businesses. The choice is often to either pay the ransom and hope the cyberattackers keep their word and deliver the decryption keys; or, to pay cybersecurity firms to perform remediation and cleanup, which can cost more than the actual ransom. The report is especially piquant given the dilemma that many organizations find themselves in when hit by ransomware.
Source: https://threatpost.com/ransomware-pay-or-not/144833/