What if all this ‘ransomware’ was actually the government?..................
Some of it is. I get 5-20 or so threat assessments each day, and at least one a day is a government actor.
Almost all ransomware is either sponsored by a government or tolerated by officials in exchanged for a percentage payment.
"Everybody" in a local scene knows who the gangs are. Nobody cares as long as the payments keep coming. "Nobody saw nothin'".
Once in a while, the American government reaches a deal with the foreign government and a couple of low-level gangsters get extradited, or an operation gets shut down.
Or somebody makes a score that is too big and destructive to ignore. In those cases, perhaps a basket of heads gets delivered to a field office somewhere. Or maybe that is just a rumor to keep the others in line.