An initiative that helps victims of ransomware recover their files free of charge says it has helped more than 200,000 ransomware victims, saving businesses an estimated $108 million, and is now capable of decrypting 109 different ransomware strains.
First launched in July 2016 (the initiative turns three today), No More Ransom names over 150 partners globally – and says it added 14 new tools in 2019. It was launched by the Netherlands’ police, Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre and McAfee.
Some 42 law enforcement agencies, 5 EU Agencies and 101 public and private entities are now members of the initiative. (F-Secure, Mastercard and the European Banking Federation were among those that joined No More Ransom this month alone.)
No More Ransom: 40,000 Saved from GandCrab Ransomware
Despite the proliferation and rapid mutation of malware variants, the organisation says it is having substantial success: its efforts against GandCrab – considered to be one of the most aggressive ransomware variants last year – have resulted in 40 000 people successfully decrypting their files, saving roughly $50 million in ransom payments.
The portal is now available in 36 languages. English, Korean, Dutch, Russian and Portuguese feature as the top five most used language portals, followed by French, Chinese, German, Spanish and Italian, No More Ransom said today.
See also: Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, GandCrab’s Not Very Romantic
Steven Wilson, Head of Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) said: “When we take a close look at ransomware, we see how easy a device can be infected in a matter of seconds. A wrong click and databases, pictures and a life of memories can disappear forever. No More Ransom brings hope to the victims, but also delivers a clear message to the criminals: the international community stands together with a common goal, operational successes are and will continue to bring the offenders to justice.”
See the decrypters and ransomware types here.
See also: The 5 Most Commonly Used Hacking Tools – and How to Defend Against Them
