Europol, Intel, Kaspersky Labs partner on 'No More Ransom' initiative
Europol announced that it has joined forces with Dutch National Police, Intel Security and Kaspersky Lab in an initiative to fight ransomware.
‘No More Ransom’ combines private and public sector forces to educate the public on ransomware dangers and even helps victims recover data without paying the cybercriminals.
The groups new portal contains decryption tools for four types of ransomware: CoinVault, Rannoh (such as CrytXX versions one and two and Crybola), Rakhi (like Cryptokluchen) and Shade.
"The biggest problem with crypto-ransomware today is that when users have precious data locked down, they readily pay criminals to get it back,” Kaspersky researcher Jornt van der Wiel said in a statement. “That boosts the underground economy, and we’re facing an increase in the number of new players and the number of attacks as a result.”
Ransomware is a top threat for EU law enforcement, with almost two-thirds of EU Member States currently conducting ransomware investigations. Kaspersky Lab estimates the number of victims has grown exponentially at 5.5 from 2014 to 2016.
“We can only change the situation if we coordinate our efforts to fight against ransomware,” van der Wiel added. “The appearance of decryption tools is just the first step on this road.”
The portal contains details on ransomware variants, along with best security practices. According to officials, the portal is open to new contributors and it’s expected the project will be extended to include more countries and law enforcement agencies in the near future.
"We cannot fight against cybercrime and ransomware alone. This is a joint responsibility of the police, the justice department, Europol and ICT companies,” Wilbert Paulissen, director, National Criminal Investigation Division of National Police of the Netherlands. “Together we will do everything in our power to disturb criminals' money making schemes and return files to their rightful owners without the latter having to pay loads of money.”
Twitter: @JessieFDavis
Email the writer: jessica.davis@himssmedia.com
