Security Firms Form the ‘Ransomware Task Force’ Hoping to Place an Embankment

• Security experts, law firms, and non-profit organizations have teamed up to fight against ransomware actors.
• Some big names are included in the founding members' list, inspiring hope, and setting the bar of expectations high.
• Ransomware has had a record-breaking year in 2020, and this shouldn’t be a stepping stone for 2021.

A group of 19 large companies and experts in the field of cybersecurity have felt the need to do something tangible to stop the rise of the ransomware threat, and so they have united forces under the ‘Ransomware Task Force’ (RTF). The group has the goal of developing new technical solutions, as well as enhancing the currently available ones to help firms defend against ransomware attacks. Ultimately, the group aspires to formulate a standardized framework that works against all ransomware attacks carried out under any conditions.

The 19 founding members, which are expected to welcome many more soon, are the following:

1. Aspen Digital (policy maker group)
2. Citrix (networking equipment vendor)
3. The Cyber Threat Alliance (cybersecurity industry sharing group)
4. Cybereason (security firm)
5. The CyberPeace Institute (non-profit dedicated to helping victims of cyberattacks)
6. The Cybersecurity Coalition (policy maker group)
7. The Global Cyber Alliance (non-profit dedicated to reducing cyber risk)
8. The Institute for Security and Technology (policy maker group)
9. McAfee (security firm)
10. Microsoft (security firm)
11. Rapid7 (security firm)
12. Resilience (cyber-insurance provider)
13. SecurityScorecard (compliance and risk management)
14. Shadowserver Foundation (non-profit security organization)
15. Stratigos Security (cybersecurity consulting)
16. Team Cymru (threat intelligence)
17. Third Way (think tank)
18. UT Austin Stauss Center (research group)
19. Venable LLP (law firm)

The members cover the entire expertise spectrum needed to maintain realistic hope that something good will indeed come out of this effort. The operations of the task force will begin in January 2021. The first couple of months are expected to be devoted to evaluating the existing solutions and identifying gaps in their application. For now, there’s not even a dedicated website up yet, and no specific roles have been assigned to the members.

Ransomware has been a big pain in 2020 and has grown to become a lot worse compared to previous years. Without a doubt, the COVID-19 has played a catalytic role in this proliferation, reigniting ‘ransomware as a service’ projects, feeding initial access brokers on the sidelines, and creating a multitude of opportunities where there weren’t any.

Even if the RTF doesn’t wipe ransomware groups but places obstacles that will make them fewer and their activities less profitable, it will be a huge step in the right direction. Right now, it’s like ransomware is the omnipresent online parasite that every entity has to accept living with, getting blackmailed, and having no way to fight back.