The US government is also offering $10 million in rewards for information on foreign hackers involved in ransomware attacks on the United States.
With the recent wave of ransomware attacks deeply impacting businesses across the United States, Washington has decided to take direct action.
In the latest, it has announced rewards that go up to $10 million for people who provide information about foreign state-sponsored cyberattacks against the United States.
This comes under the State Department’s Rewards for Justice program allowing people to report crimes on a dark web site as shown below:
Not only this, but it has also launched a new website named StopRansomware.gov which will help both the private sector and the government fight against cyberattacks.
The project has been underway in collaboration with different federal agencies such as the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Homeland Security.
An official statement from the DOJ stated,
StopRansomware.gov reduces the fragmentation of resources, which is especially detrimental for those who have become victims of an attack, by integrating federal ransomware resources into a single platform that includes clear guidance on how to report attacks, and the latest ransomware-related alerts and threats from all participating agencies.
On the other hand, the new website will help by bringing together a range of resources on ransomware in one place along with offering separate reporting mechanisms as well. This will help people learn quickly about any new attacks, updates, and other issues instead of having to scour different websites.
“Roughly $350 million in ransom was paid to malicious cyber actors in 2020, a more than 300% increase from the previous year. Further, there have already been multiple notable ransomware attacks in 2021, and despite making up roughly 75% of all ransomware cases, attacks on small businesses often go unnoticed,”added the Justice Department.
In addition to it, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has also announced a conference to be held in August 2021 with various stakeholders to discuss ransomware attacks and what all of them can do collectively to counter them.
To conclude, these are positive steps that other governments should also follow in solidarity with their citizens. Otherwise, countries risk exposing their subjects to a range of risks that may have far-reaching consequences.
For the future, we’re still to see how effective the website is and will continue reporting on updates accordingly.
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