After paying the ransom demanded by a ransomware attacker, you are guaranteed access to all locked files.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Sometimes
• D. Not sure

Answer: (B)

Paying a ransom does not guarantee you will regain access to all locked files. Attackers may withhold the decryption key, provide a key that only partially works, or decrypt some files while others remain encrypted or corrupted. Even when decryption succeeds, there can be hidden issues like altered data or lingering malware that keeps systems unsafe. Paying also fuels criminal activity and can encourage more attacks, so authorities and many organizations advise against it and instead emphasize restoring from clean backups and following a formal incident response. The best course is to recover using trusted backups and thorough remediation rather than relying on a ransom payout.