The ‘No More Ransom’ group announced that 13 new countries have joined its effort to collaboratively fight cybercriminals with the private sector.

Since inception, the portal has added a decryptor for the WildFire ransomware strain. Two decryptors have also been updated: Rannoh, to include the strain Marsjoke, or Polyglot, and Rakhni, to include Chimera.

What’s more, during the first two months of the campaign, led by Europol, Dutch National Police, Kaspersky Lab and Intel, more than 2,500 people have successfully decrypted devices using the tools - without paying the ransom, officials said.

The program, as such, has deprived hackers of an estimated $1.5 million (1.3 million euros).

“The initiative has demonstrated a coordinated approach by EU law enforcement that includes all relevant partners can result in significant successes in fighting this type of crime, focusing on the important areas of prevention and awareness,” Steven Wilson, head of the European Cybercrime Centre said in a statement.

And with the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Hungary, Columbia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Latvia and Bosnia and Herzegovina the latest countries to join, officials said said they expect more law enforcement agencies and private sector firms to come on board in the next few months.

Europol has also been working on expanding the program globally and within the European Union and globally, and it’s expected the portal will soon be adapted to support versions with different languages. Further, officials said the project is still reaching out to new private sector companies, from which they’ve received many requests to join.

The portal is designed to both educate and help ransomware victims decrypt data without paying the ransom. The more security firms and law enforcement agencies join the fight, officials explained, the more decryption tools can be created.

“I’m confident the online portal will continue to improve in the months to come,” Wilson added. “All police forces are warmly encouraged to join the fight.” 

Twitter: @JessieFDavis
Email the writer: jessica.davis@himssmedia.com

 Ransomware will be among the pressing topics at the Privacy & Security Forum in Boston, Dec. 5-7, 2016. What to expect:
⇒ How to beat back hackers and savvy cybercriminals? Delve into the dark web
⇒ A CISO, consultant, and infosec vendor nail down cybersecurity best practices
⇒ Gone' phishin': Mayo Clinic shares tips for fending off attacks
⇒ Hack-proofing ID and access management
⇒ Security budgets grow but breaches continue unless hospitals adopt best practices
⇒ Think offshoring PHI is safe? You may not be covered if a business associate breaches data

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