The criminalisation of cyber extortion payments

Any and all responses that businesses can make to a ransom demand are fraught with risk. Lawyers working with clients in the face of such cyber extortions must be able to navigate the legal and ethical issues arising from breaches and attacks and ensure they are continually upskilling against the threat of this evolving landscape. On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Lander & Rogers partner Melissa Tan to discuss the state of affairs with cyber extortion payments, why mitigating factors surrounding the pressure of extortion payments aren’t taken into account by regulators, fueling the fire for potential class action proceedings, and how such ransom demands are fraught with risk, no matter how an extorted entity reacts. Ms Tan also dives into where the law is at on the criminalisation of such payments, how strictly said laws are being enforced, any urgent legislative updates that might be required, mechanisms or frameworks that businesses can and should be putting in place, how to determine what will constitute best practices for lawyers advising in this space, and the realities that such lawyers have to grapple with when dealing with clients. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email editor@lawyersweekly.com.au for more insights!