US Government Paid $1M to Data Thieves Who Never Used Ransomware

A U.S. government entity paid $1 million to prevent leaked files, per a Ransom-ISAC case study analyzing leaked chat logs and blockchain data. The recipient, Kairos, showed no evidence of encrypting systems, suggesting a pure extortion scheme. The payment highlights growing risks from data-theft-only attacks that bypass traditional ransomware defenses.