On 5/24/2014 11:29 AM, Anne P. Mitchell, Esq. wrote:
Law enforcement and victims have different objectives. Law enforcement wants to find the criminal, gather sufficient evidence to prove their guilt, then prosecute them. More attacks helps law enforcement.
The victims, in general, want the attacks to stop.
Actually, our experience in this particular case (it is the same person(s) hitting all of the targets, even using the same email addresses, etc.) is that the victims want to find the guy too. In fact, I can say with a fair degree of certainty that the coordinated efforts of a dedicated group of "victims", who have come together without regards to the fact that they are otherwise 'competitors' in business, and who have furnished the agencies with useable technical information about the attacks, have given the agencies a substantial leg up in the investigation.
All that from a far greater authority than I. But lest my weak words be misunderstood, I have no objection what ever to providing technical information (and facilities, even)--it is ONLY the paying of ransom that I object to. And I think I would say that if I were the captive. I think over the long haul the odds are that if you DO pay the ransom, the victim will be dead anyway. -- Requiescas in pace o email Two identifying characteristics of System Administrators: Ex turpi causa non oritur actio Infallibility, and the ability to learn from their mistakes. (Adapted from Stephen Pinker)