Ransomware Victims Are Fighting Back Against Their Attackers and Winning

The No More Ransom decryption tool repository, an initiative launched by Europol to combat ransomware attacks, has saved individuals $632 million in ransom demands since 2016.

According to the announcement published by Europol, the repository is celebrating its fourth anniversary. Over the past four years, the repo has gathered over 4.2 million visitors from 188 countries thanks to a compilation of tools from 163 partners.

The initiative’s website lists 100 different tools covering 140 different families of ransomware.

Covering a wide range of ransomware decryptors

The project’s largest contributor is the malware lab, Emsisoft, which has contributed 54 tools so far.

Speaking with Cointelegraph, Brett Callow, threat analyst at Emsisoft, said that the project has helped a huge number of people recover their data “without needing to pay the ransom, and that means less money in the pockets of cybercriminals”:

“The project also helps people recover data that would otherwise permanently be lost. The loss of things like wedding photos and videos of babies’ first steps is, obviously, heartbreaking for people, and being able to help them get those things back is an important part of what No More Ransom does.”

On May 12, International crime-fighting organization, Interpol, joined forces with cybersecurity firm, Kaspersky, to launch a campaign called “Anti-Ransomware Day”. The date is set on the third anniversary of the most significant ransomware attack on record, WannaCry.