Hi all,

 

When we talk about public-private cooperation, we often think in very abstract terms. It is not always the case.

 

Today, for instance, a new decryption tool for the latest version of the most prolific ransomware family GandCrab has been released free of charge on www.nomoreransom.org. Previous decryptors for the GandCrab ransomware have helped more than 30 000 victims recover their data and save roughly $50 million in unpaid ransoms.

 

Law enforcement and IT Security companies have joined forces to disrupt cybercriminal businesses with ransomware connections. The “No More Ransom” website is an initiative by the National High Tech Crime Unit of the Netherlands’ police, Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre and McAfee with the goal to help victims of ransomware retrieve their encrypted data without having to pay the criminals. The recent tool, for instance, is the fruit of cooperation between EU and US police forces. Together with Bitdefender.

 

The police cannot fight cybercrime, and ransomware in particular, on its own. And security researchers cannot do it without support from law enforcement agencies. Responsibility for the fight against ransomware is shared between the police, the justice department, Europol and IT security companies, and requires a joint effort. Together we will do everything in our power to disrupt criminals' money-making schemes and return files to their rightful owners, without the latter having to pay loads of money.

 

The full press release is here: https://www.europol.europa.eu/newsroom/news/just-released-fourth-decryption-tool-neutralises-latest-version-of-gandcrab-ransomware

If your company is interested in supporting the project, you can get in touch with us.