EUROPEAN CYBERSECURITY COMPETENCE CENTRE - No More Ransom initiative turned 6 years old!

Celebrating its sixth anniversary today, No More Ransom provides keys to unlocking encrypted files as well as information on how to avoid getting infected in the first place.

Europol

date: 26/07/2022

Launched by Europol, the Dutch National Police (Politie) and IT security companies, the No More Ransom portal initially offered four tools for unlocking different types of ransomware and was available only in English.

Six years later, No More Ransom offers 136 free tools for 165 ransomware variants, including Gandcrab, REvil/Sodinokibi, Maze/Egregor/Sekhmet and more. Over 188 partners from the public and private sector have joined the scheme, regularly providing new decryption tools for the latest strains of malicious software.

To date, the scheme has so far helped over 1.5 million people successfully decrypt their devices without needing to pay the criminals. The portal is available in 37 languages in order to better assist victims of ransomware across the globe.

Remember: any consumer and any business can be a victim of ransomware. Cybercriminals are not selective, and are often looking to hit as many users as possible in order to obtain the highest profit.

Ransomware attacks against business are growing, because cybercriminals know that organizations are more likely to pay as the data held captive is typically both sensitive and vital for business continuity. In addition, it can sometimes be more expensive to restore backups than to pay a ransom.

Thus, the best cure against ransomware remains diligent prevention. You are strongly advised to:

Regularly back up data stored on your electronic devices.
Watch your clicks – do you know where a link will take you?
Do not open attachments in e-mails from unknown senders, even if they look important and credible.
Ensure that your security software and operating system are up to date.
Use two-factor authentication (2FA) to protect your user accounts.
Limit the possibility to export large amounts of corporate data to external file exchange portals.
If you become a victim, do not pay! Report the crime and check No More Ransom for decryption tools.