The Institute for Security and Technology (IST) — in partnership with a broad coalition of experts in industry, government, law enforcement, nonprofits, cybersecurity insurance, and international organizations — is launching a new Ransomware Task Force (RTF) to tackle this increasingly prevalent and destructive type of cybercrime. The RTF’s founding members understand that ransomware is too large of a threat for any one entity to address, and have come together to provide clear recommendations for both public and private action that will significantly reduce the threat posed by this criminal enterprise.

Ransomware incidents have been growing unchecked, and this economically destructive cybercrime has increasingly led to dangerous, physical consequences, says IST. Recently, hospitals, school districts, city governments, and others have found their networks held hostage by malicious actors seeking payouts. This crime transcends sectors and requires bringing all affected stakeholders to the table to synthesize a clear framework of actionable solutions, which is why IST and coalition of partners are launching this Task Force for a two-to-three month sprint.

The RTF will assess existing solutions at varying levels of the ransomware kill chain, identify gaps in solution application, and create a roadmap of concrete objectives and actionable milestones for high-level decision-makers. To contribute to the final roadmap, the RTF will commission expert papers and engage stakeholders across industries to coalesce around vetted solutions. 

Founding Ransomware Task Force partners include: 

Aspen Digital
Citrix
The Cyber Threat Alliance
Cybereason
The CyberPeace Institute
The Cybersecurity Coalition
The Global Cyber Alliance
McAfee
Microsoft
Rapid7
Resilience
SecurityScorecard
Shadowserver Foundation
Stratigos Security
Team Cymru
Third Way
UT Austin Stauss Center
Venable LLP

The Ransomware Task Force website, including full membership and leadership roles, will be launched in January 2021.