Ransomware payments globally reach $400M

The US National Security Council has calculated that the revenues of hackers around the world from ransomware attacks in 2020 amounted to about $400 million, Report informs referring to the White House website.

“Ransomware payments reached over $400 million globally in 2020 and topped $81 million in the first quarter of 2021, illustrating the financially driven nature of these activities,” the Security Council said. “Ransomware attackers have targeted organizations of all sizes, regardless of where they are located.”

The Biden Administration has pursued a focused, integrated effort to counter the threat. The Administration has called on the private sector, which owns and operates the majority of US critical infrastructure, to modernize their cyber defenses to meet the threat of ransomware.

The Administration has announced specific efforts to encourage resilience, including voluntary cyber performance goals, classified threat briefings for critical infrastructure executives, and the Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Initiative.