A group made up of 19 security firms, tech companies, and non-profits, headlined by big names such as Microsoft and McAfee, have announced plans to form a new coalition to deal with the rising threat of ransomware.
Named the Ransomware Task Force (RTF), the new group will focus on assessing existing technical solutions that provide protections during a ransomware attack.
Victims of ransomware attacks often turn to security experts for help, but independent contractors may offer wildly different advice and solutions. As such, the task force hopes to create a standardized framework for responding to attacks, based on industry consensus.
According to the Institute for Security and Technology (IST), which is one of the members, the group will assess current responses to ransomware, identify gaps in existing approaches and develop a roadmap “of concrete objectives and actionable milestones for high-level decision-makers.” The task force will commission expert papers to help guide the roadmap.
The 19 initial founding members reflect the RTF’s dedication to putting together a diverse team of experts:
Aspen Digital (policy maker group)
Citrix (networking equipment vendor)
The Cyber Threat Alliance (cybersecurity industry sharing group)
Cybereason (security firm)
The CyberPeace Institute (non-profit dedicated to help victims of cyberattacks)
The Cybersecurity Coalition (policy maker group)
The Global Cyber Alliance (non-profit dedicated to reducing cyber risk)
The Institute for Security and Technology (policy maker group)
McAfee (security firm)
Microsoft (security firm)
Rapid7 (security firm)
Resilience (cyberinsurance provider)
SecurityScorecard (compliance and risk management)
Shadowserver Foundation (non-profit security organization)
Stratigos Security (cybersecurity consulting)
Team Cymru (threat intelligence)
Third Way (think tank)
UT Austin Stauss Center (research group)
Venable LLP (law firm)
Currently, ransomware is neither the most widespread form of malware nor the type of cyber-attack that causes the largest financial losses to companies each year. That title goes to BEC scams, according to the FBI.
Nevertheless, ransomware is still a major threat and one that has been trending up, with ransom demands growing from quarter to quarter.
More details about the Ransomware Task Force will be announced next month, including full membership and leadership. The task force website will be up and running in January too.
