Coalition of companies with Microsoft, McAfee and Citrix wants to tackle ransomware

A coalition of nineteen companies, most of which are security companies, has established the Ransomware Task Force. The goal is to work together to tackle different levels of the ransomware attack chain to counter the threat.

Among the nineteen founders of the Ransomware Task Force, in addition to Microsoft, McAfee and Citrix, are the security companies Aspen Digital, Rapid7 and Team Cymru. Organizations such as The Global Cyber ​​Alliance and The Institute for Security and Technology are also involved, according to the latter’s announcement.

Participants believe that ransomware is too great a threat to tackle as a single organization. They want to put together a package of measures within two to three months, targeting different parts of the ransomware chain. In addition, they want to identify gaps that are still present in the control. Ultimately, the collaboration should deliver a widely supported roadmap for combating ransomware.

The threat of ransomware has grown in recent years and has now become a multi-billion dollar industry, backed by professional and well organized gangs. Authorities already regularly cooperate in the fight against this. A well-known partnership is No More Ransom, which Europol started in 2016.