The No More Ransom Initiative has reached its fourth anniversary this month, having marked some considerable achievements in that time. According to one of the founders, Europol, the No More Ransom decryption tool repository has registered over 4.2 million visitors from 188 countries in the last four years, preventing an estimated $632m from getting into the hands of criminals.
The initiative was set up back in July 2016 as a collaboration between law enforcement and IT security companies to disrupt cyber-criminal businesses with ransomware connections. They set up an online portal that informs the public about the dangers of ransomware and helps victims to recover their data without having to pay a ransom to cyber-criminals.
The portal, which has added 28 new tools this year alone, is now capable of decrypting 140 different types of ransomware infections. The portal is also available in 36 languages.
From the founding members of the Dutch National Police, Europol, McAfee and Kaspersky, No More Ransom has now expanded to 163 partners from across the world.
Commenting on the anniversary, Fedor Sinitsyn, security expert at Kaspersky, said: “The success of the No More Ransom initiative is a shared success, one that cannot be achieved by law enforcement or private industry alone. By joining forces, we enhance our ability to take on the criminals and make it harder for them to harm people, businesses and critical infrastructure.
“What ransomware has taught us for sure is that prevention is no doubt better than a cure. Internet users need to avoid becoming a victim in the first place. Many relevant prevention tips are available on the No More Ransom website. If you do become a victim, it is important not to pay the ransom and report your infection to the police.”
John Fokker, head of cyber-investigations at McAfee, added: “Organizations should also remember to do their due diligence when it comes to securing systems and training employees: social engineering is still an incredibly efficient tactic for criminals looking to infect systems.
“Ultimately, when it comes to fighting ransomware, we will need to continue working together to keep pace with attackers – whether that’s coordination between public and private organizations, sharing of threat intelligence or education and training within individual businesses.”