Ransomware Incidents in 2021 Mostly Tied to Russian Hackers, US Says

Payment-seeking software program made by Russian hackers was utilized in three quarters of all of the ransomware schemes reported to a US monetary crime company within the second half of 2021, a Treasury Department evaluation launched on Tuesday confirmed. In evaluation issued in response to the rise in quantity and severity of ransomware assaults in opposition to crucial infrastructure within the United States since late 2020, the US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) stated it had acquired 1,489 ransomware-related filings price practically $1.2 billion (roughly Rs. 9,930 crore) in 2021, a 188 p.c leap from the yr earlier than.

Out of 793 ransomware incidents reported to FinCEN within the second half of 2021, 75 p.c “had a nexus to Russia, its proxies, or persons acting on its behalf,” the report stated.

Washington is that this week internet hosting a gathering with officers from 36 nations and the European Union, in addition to 13 international firms to handle the rising risk of ransomware and different cybercrime, together with the illicit use of cryptocurrencies.

“We may approach the challenge of ransomware with a different lens – and in some cases, an entirely different set of tools – but we are all here because we know that ransomware remains a critical threat to victims across the globe and continues to be profitable for bad actors,” Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo instructed the officers.

Ransom software program works by encrypting victims’ knowledge, with hackers providing the sufferer a key in return for cryptocurrency funds that may run as excessive as hundreds of thousands of {dollars}.

A US Treasury official on Tuesday stated the division final month repelled cyberattacks by a pro-Russian hacker group, stopping disruption, an instance he stated of the division’s stronger strategy to monetary system cybersecurity.

© Thomson Reuters 2022


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