Ransomware hackers extorted $590 million in 2021 in the US Ransomware hackers extorted $590 million in 2021 in the US

Ransomware hackers extorted $590 million in 2021 in the US


Ransomware hackers extorted $590 million in 2021 in the US


$590 million in ransomware-related payments were reported to US authorities in the first half of 2021 alone, more than the total reported over the entire past decade as cyber extortion has spread.

The US Treasury report said the figure is also 42 percent higher than the amount disclosed by financial institutions for the whole of 2020, and there are strong indications that the true cost could be in the billions.

"If current trends continue, the value of ransomware (ransomware) reporting in 2021 is expected to be higher than (...) that submitted in the previous 10 years combined," the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network said.

Extortion occurs by breaking into the network of a company or organization, encrypting its data, and then demanding a ransom, usually paid in cryptocurrency, in exchange for a digital key to restart the network.

Washington has sought to crack down on a sharp rise in attacks, including imposing the first sanctions against an online exchange where illegal operators swapped cryptocurrency for cash.

Attracted recent attacks on the oil pipeline and a major US company for meat packing and e - mail system , Microsoft Akschnj attention to the weakness of the US infrastructure in front of digital pirates who extort huge amounts of money.

The Treasury Department said investigators found more than 150 online cryptocurrency wallets and, through their analysis, discovered nearly $5.2 billion in transactions potentially linked to ransom payments.

Companies and organizations are under intense pressure to pay the required amount in order to gain access to their data, but also to cover up the attack so that customers do not know it and the authorities issue stern warnings not to pay the criminals.

Threat to critical infrastructure
The report, which is based on reports of suspicious activity that financial firms have to file, noted that it was unclear whether the rise was due to increased awareness of cybercrime.

"This trend is likely to reflect the increasing public prevalence of ransomware-related incidents as well as improved detection and reporting," the Treasury said.

The victims of the attacks were not identified in the report, which indicated that payments for what is believed to be a ransom were made before January 2021.

The new data on the scale of piracy-related payments came after more than two dozen countries decided to collectively fight ransomware at a Washington-led summit that called on these countries - excluding Russia - to unite and strengthen efforts to combat the growing and potentially devastating transnational cybercrime.

Critical steps in this fight were to enhance digital security, keep offline data backups, and collectively target to launder the proceeds of attacks.

"We will consider all available national tools to take action against those responsible for ransom-related hacking that threatens critical infrastructure and public safety," the countries said in a joint statement.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, Japan, France, Germany, South Korea, the European Union, Israel, Kenya, Mexico and others participated in the virtual meeting.

During the summit, countries shared their painful experiences with cyber blackmail, including declaring a digital “disaster” in Germany while Israel announced that a major hospital had been attacked.

And other

Turkish hacker hacks Donald Trump's website

Former US President Donald Trump's website was briefly hacked by a suspected Turkish hacker, who called on readers to "not forget God".

The New York Daily News attributed a Turkish hacker to Trump's website and spread the Islamic message on Monday.

The letter was written in Turkish and its translation is: “Do not be like those who have forgotten God, for God has forgotten them themselves. They have really lost their way.”

The Save America BAC website was back to normal by late Monday morning.

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