Ransomware Talks Are Not Deals: A True Story

Ransomware chats are tense and messy. People are scared. Decisions happen fast. Attackers push fear and speed because it works. Victims are tired, short on facts, and looking for any exit that gets systems back. In that fog, the conversation starts to feel normal—even friendly—while the threats keep rising in the background. Numbers shift, deadlines appear, and you get told there’s “only one way out.” This transcript with an Avaddon operator shows how that pressure lands in real time and what to watch for when you’re the one making calls.

What happened

• The attacker insists they are the only way out. “Only we have a decryptor, no github decryptors will help you!”
• They mock alternatives and claim to patch around them. “We have already released a patch, so it won’t help you another time.”
• They threaten a follow-up attack. They call it a “SECOND IMPACT.”
• They push urgency and a discount: “We even reduced the price for you from 1kk to 200k… time is ticking, and for you, time is money.”
• The victim wavers. They say “by now Github Decrypted my files, thanks!” then ask if the attacker will “come after me again” and admit “We cannot pay.”

Tactics the attacker used

• Price revealed, then a “deal.” Start at 1,000,000. Slide to 200,000. Make it feel like progress.
• Undermining options. Dismiss public tools. Claim exclusive capability.
• Re-attack threat. Promise a worse hit later if you don’t pay now.
• Bundled “service.” Decrypt, delete, remove from leak site, and “advise” on security—but only after payment.
• Time pressure. Repeat that time is running out.

Quotes that show the tone

• “Only we have a decryptor…”
• “We have already released a patch…”
• “SECOND IMPACT… the second blow will mean an absolute collapse for you.”
• “We even reduced the price for you from 1kk to 200k.”
• “Time is ticking, and for you, time is money.”

What the victim did right (and risky)

Right

• Questioned decryption guarantees. Asking for proof is fair.
• Raised the risk of being hit again. Repeat attacks do happen.

Risky

• Reporting about a free decryptor. It tipped the attacker to harden their position.
• Sharing financial pain. It signals leverage.

What To Remember

• Paying does not guarantee safety. You can still face leaks or a second hit.
• Treat attacker claims like marketing - assume exaggeration or deception.
• Verify all technical claims offline and in a clean lab environment
• Assume data may leak anyway. Plan legal, comms, and notifications based on facts you can prove.
• Share less. Do not reveal backups, tools, or budgets.
• Keep messages short and professional. Ask only what you need for validation and time.

Conclusion

This negotiation wasn’t a deal. It was pressure. The operator said “only we have a decryptor,” called the GitHub tool old and patched, dropped the ask price from 1,000,000 to 200,000, and warned of a “SECOND IMPACT.” The victim pushed back, asked how access happened, and said they could rebuild if needed. That set the facts: there’s no guarantee on any path.

Full Transcript

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

Attacker: Hello, will you take the decryption or not?

Victim: Hello There! I need help my test decryption not working

Victim: u still there? Ready to pay!

Victim: by now Github Decrypted my files, thanks!

Attacker: Hi sir

Attacker: What do you mean "by now Github Decrypted my files, thanks!"?

Attacker: Only we have a decryptor, no github decryptors will help you!

Attacker: Do not rejoice, you will not be able to 
unblock all your servers, only we can unblock your servers, you better 
pay, we even reduced the price for you from $ 1,000,000 to $ 200,000, 
you now better buy a decryption, and finish this business already

Victim: Hey You know the guy that publish the free decryptor on githut and You seen it ?

Attacker: we have already released a patch, so it won't help you another time)

Attacker: the more we doubt that you have decrypted 
files, because the decryptor can decrypt files under very specific 
conditions

Attacker: Have you seen the release of your important documents on our blog?

Victim: I would like to know if You will come after me again.

Victim: We cannot pay that even though! It is 
outrageous! We are drowing on debt, no payment will be released to You, 
We have no assurance of decryption as many customers of yours are 
complaining of issues decrypting their files after payment as well.;

Victim: We have no problem starting from scratch, 
Our only concern is been hit a second time like One customer of Yours 
did.

Attacker: ok, enjoy leaking files on your blog. Our 
clients have no problems with decrypting files, you need to listen to 
negotiators less and then you will have no problems

Victim: We don't want to listen to them That is Why i come in here myself!

Victim: I am begging You

Attacker: and why are you writing here?

Victim: Cause There is no place else to write. We Want to rear from You

Attacker: It's good that you contacted us yourself. 
Look, we are a serious organization and every month Avaddon General 
Decryptor is bought by hundreds of clients and there are no problems 
with decryption. Those comments that you read can be written by anyone, 
even people who have never worked with us, in order to lower our 
reputation. But this is pointless, since thousands of customers who 
bought our decryptor will refute information about the about poor 
performance ability of our software.

Attacker: If we do not agree on a price for the 
buyback and you do not pay, then we will wait until you fully restore 
your entire online infrastructure and we deliver a SECOND IMPACT, and 
believe me, this blow will be more destructive, you will lose a lot more
 money and get more problems. as there will be a second wave of data 
leakage which will be measured by terabytes of data. We are ready to 
discuss the new price with you and remove your company data from our 
data breach blog. After payment, we will give you a decryptor that will 
decrypt absolutely all PCs / servers on your network, delete the files 
(we will provide proofs that the files have been deleted) and provide 
you with a list of vulnerabilities, with the help of this list you can 
eliminate all the vulnerabilities in your network and this situation 
cannot happen again with you in the future

Victim: Will You be Our consultant perhaps? Will You
 tell Us how you got in because We failed to diagnose the entry point, 
We just found the binary. Vulnerabilities are discovered everyday and 
yet We failed to fix Ours with your penetration at Our Network. How low 
can We get on a ransom? We already lost so much, If you hit Us one more 
time We will no option but declare bankruptcy.

Attacker: In what sense will I be your consultant?

Attacker: Look, you could write to us right away, we 
would have settled this issue and you resumed your work a few weeks ago,
 but for some reason you did not want to do this ... Yes sir, 
vulnerabilities are found every day, but there were many holes in your 
network, we are ready to point you to them and tell you what to do so 
that they are closed, we will help you secure your network and if in the
 future you keep our advice it will be practically impossible to crack, 
but You will receive instructions on how to close the holes and secure 
your network only after payment. We understand that financial losses are
 possible in your business now and we understand perfectly well what 
will happen if we deliver the SECOND IMPACT, the second blow will mean 
an absolute collapse for you. We do not want to do this (we even reduced
 the price for you from 1kk to 200k), but we will have to if we do not 
now agree with you on the price for the buyback. Make a meeting with the
 management or people who are responsible for finances in your company, 
explain to them the current situation and what awaits you in the future,
 if we do not agree on the price for the ransom and offer us your price,
 we are waiting for an answer from you, because time is ticking, and for
 you, time is money.