US govt launches website to help ransomware victims

United States government on Thursday lauched an online hub to help victims of ransomware attacks to find resources and assistance. The initiative is led by Justice and Homeland Security Department of the US government.

The webisite WWW.StopRansomware.gov apparently aims for being an under-one-roof resource for victims of ransomware.

Many of the resources and information that organizations need to deal with ransomware attacks have historically been scattered across multiple websites, which increased the "likelihood of missing important information," the Justice Department said in a statement.

The new website is "the first central hub consolidating ransomware resources from all federal government agencies," it said.

The launch comes shortly after ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline that caused shortages at gas stations US East Coast.

The Justice Department was later able to help Colonial Pipeline recover some $2.3 million in cryptocurrency ransom it paid to hackers.

About $350 million in ransom was paid to cyber criminals in 2020, a more than 300% increase from the previous year, the department said.

“The Department of Justice is committed to protecting Americans from the rise in ransomware attacks that we have seen in recent years," Attorney General Merrick Garland said.

(With inputs from agencies)