A further 13 police forces have joined the No More Ransom project, which aims to provide practical support to companies and individuals impacted by ransomware. Currently, five decryption tools are available via the project’s website.
The new members are: the United Kingdom, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Colombia, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. Further law enforcement agencies and private sector organizations are expected to join the programme in the coming months. Their collaboration will result in more free decryption tools becoming available, helping even more victims to decrypt their devices and unlock their information, and damaging the cybercriminals where it hurts the most: their wallets.
No More Ransom was launched on 25 July 2016, by the Dutch National Police, Europol, Intel Security and Kaspersky Lab, introducing a new level of cooperation between law enforcement and the private sector to fight ransomware.
The project’s objectives are supported by Eurojust and the European Commission.
“Europol is fully committed to supporting the enlargement of the No More Ransom project within the EU and internationally to respond to ransomware in an effective and concerted manner,” says Steven Wilson, head of the European Cybercrime Centre. “Despite the increasing challenges, the initiative has demonstrated that a coordinated approach by EU law enforcement that includes all relevant partners can result in significant successes in fighting this type of crime, focusing on the important areas of prevention and awareness. I am confident that the online portal will continue to improve in the months to come. All police forces are warmly encouraged to join the fight.”
