July 13, 2021 Interpol has called for cooperation between police and the IT industry to stop a potential ransomware pandemic that has grown exponentially.
Ransomwhere, a new website that tracks payments to ransomware attackers, stated that the most lucrative operation now is REvil/Sodinokibi – the allegedly Russian-backed ransomware-as-a-service platform that is responsible for the attacks on JBS and Kaseya.
The group has demanded $70 million to provide Kaseya with a universal decryption tool, but this year alone the cybercrime gang has amassed a lucrative $11.3 million in bitcoin payments.
The U.S. stance is that the Russian government is still responsible for cybercriminals operating within its jurisdiction, even if the activities are not supported by the Kremlin.
President Joe Biden spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin recently and discussed that if Russia cannot take action against the criminals, the U.S. will reserve the right to do it themselves.
What the U.S. would take in the absence of a Russian-led crackdown still remains unclear.
Interpol wants to work with private cybersecurity firms and government agencies, as well as CERTs or computer emergency teams, to crack down on ransomware gangs.
For more information, read the original story in ZDNet.
