US government Starts Anti-Ransomware Site
The U.S. government's first interagency initiative to address ransomware launched Wednesday. StopRansomware.gov is a website managed by the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency along with the Department of Justice and the White House. THe website offers resources, tools and other information to help fight ransomware. The site offers tips and guidance to prevent damage from ransomware attacks. It also offers guidance on best practices such as restricting users' permissions, which may prevent malware from running or limit its capability to spread through a network. The most important aspect of the site is that victims can report ransomware attacks directly through the website.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated that the StopRansomware website was launched to help businesses and other organizations reduce the risk of ransomware attacks. Newly appointed CISA Director Jennifer Easterly also posted about the initiative on Twitter, stating the new website was created because ransomware is wreaking havoc on businesses across America. The new federal resource will help individuals, businesses and other organizations reduce the risk of ransomware attacks and protect their cybersecurity. Mayorkas has addressed the urgency of preventing ransomware attacks before, during an RSA Conference, he said fighting ransomware attacks was DHS' number one priority. He also stated that ransomware posed a national security threat.
According to the DOJ, $350 million was paid to hackers in 2020. This is more than a 300% increase from the previous year. While companies are advised not to pay the ransom to retrieve data, huge payouts have been made in just the last six months alone. This highlights the growing threat of the ransomware. Several organizations, including the Colonial Pipeline Co. and JBS USA, confirmed ransom payments just days apart. A record-setting demand was also made against Taiwan PC manufacturer Acer for $50 million. There have been several attacks against critical infrastructure, cyber insurance companies and healthcare organizations that forced systems offline and caused devastating disruptions. The education sector has also been ravaged by ransomware. The Buffalo Public School System was forced to close school for one week and had highly sensitive student data leaked.
Other services include free CISA scanning and testing services to help organizations identity threats and a ransomware readiness assessment tool. Athat nother part of the website is that it combines resources and information in a single destination. The DOJ said fragmentation of resources is detrimental for businesses and individuals who have become victims of an attack. The website will provide a way for organizations to work with the federal government in partnership to address the ransomware situation and help reduce the growing number of attacks.