While there might not have been high-profile incidents like the Wannacry or NotPetya ransomware outbreak this year, the rise of GandCrab and SamSam variants show that the threat of ransomware is still very active, and adapting.
The numbers involved remain disquieting – the file-locking GandCrab malware is believed to have infected over half a million victims since it was first detected in January of this year.
With cybercriminals experimenting with increasingly sophisticated tactics and self-propagating techniques, ransomware could have been a highly profitable venture for them - if it was not because the No More Ransom decryption tools have kept some USD 22 million out of their pockets.
Bringing in new tools and partners
Launched in July 2016, the No More Ransom online portal is now available in 35 different languages and carries 59 free decryption tools, covering some 91 ransomware families.
Most recently, a universal decryption tool for the aggressive file-locking GandCrab malware was released on the portal by the Romanian National Police, Europol and Bitdefender. This tool has allowed so far more than 4 400 victims from 150 countries to recover their encrypted files, with several hundreds of thousands of other victims who could be helped.
Already strong of 129 partners, No More Ransom was joined today by Bleeping Computer, Cisco and ESET as new associate partners, while Microsoft, Symantec, Coveware and Northwind Data Recovery joined in a supporting capacity. Cyprus, Estonia, Scotland and Sweden also joined over the course of the past year, bringing the number of involved law enforcement agencies to 41.
So far, the tools provided on No More Ransom have managed to decrypt the infected computer of over 72 000 victims worldwide – yet there are still many more victims out there which need help, this even more so as the threat of ransomware is going nowhere in 2019.
Join the fight against ransomware
Are you a cybersecurity company willing to join forces with law enforcement and industry leaders in the fight to disrupt ransomware?
Do you have an innovative solution for ransomware families not covered yet in the portal to help victims recover their files without giving into the demands of the criminals?
Then we want to hear from you!
Better safe than sorry
The best cure against ransomware remains diligent prevention. Users are strongly advised to:
Always keep a copy of their most important files somewhere else: in the cloud, on another drive, on a memory stick, or on another computer.
- Use reliable and up-to-date anti-virus software.
- Not download programs from suspicious sources.
- Not open attachments in e-mails from unknown senders, even if they look important and credible.
- And if you are a victim, don’t pay the ransom!
Find more information and prevention tips on www.nomoreransom.org
