Ransomware Now Runs Without Humans. Is It Time to Hack Back?

The discussion frames 2026 as a turning point in cybercrime, with the guest arguing that AI has transformed ransomware from a human-operated threat into an automated, machine-speed one. He says TRM saw about 7,500 ransomware attacks in 2025, but that figure could explode if end-to-end, human-out-of-the-loop attacks scale further. He argues the danger is not limited to crypto losses: hospital systems, water filtration, and electric grids make this a civilization-level problem.

The conversation then turns to the case for offensive countermeasures. The host asks about the idea, proposed in a CoinTelegraph op-ed by J. Christopher Giancarlo and Chris Perkins, of reviving letters of marque and reprisal, a constitutional power once used to authorize privateers like John Paul Jones against wartime attackers. Giancarlo says the concept would modernize an old tool for the 21st century and let the private sector help respond to state-sponsored hackers such as North Korea’s Lazarus Group.

Ari Redbord agrees the approach is worth pursuing, while stressing it should sit alongside stronger cyber defenses across DeFi protocols, centralized exchanges, and major tech companies. He argues that when North Korea can steal billions and rise to the level of bigger geopolitical adversaries through cyber capability, the US needs both defensive and offensive tools.