Inside the High-Stakes World of Ransomware Negotiations

S-RM leads UK's cyber-response, acting in minutes to counteract attacks. Ethical dilemmas in ransom negotiations challenge crime funding.

By Content Team

Dec 30, 2025

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When cybercriminals strike, companies have just minutes to respond before hackers can "detonate" malware across entire systems. London-based S-RM leads the UK's largest cyber-incident response team, getting back to clients within six minutes on average during that critical "reconnaissance" period when attackers are still figuring out what to steal.

The firm faces ethical dilemmas as part of its "extortion support" work - negotiating ransoms with criminal groups. Director Ted Cowell says they challenge clients with "Why should we pay these criminals?" and push for no-payment decisions whenever possible. However, established ransomware groups often honor settlements, making payment sometimes rational for desperate businesses.

As corporate attitudes shift against funding organized crime, recovery services are growing while the UK's National Cyber Security Centre has become more proactive in warning potential victims.

Source: The Guardian

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