The Institute for Security and Technology (IST), a global organization that designs and develops solutions to address cyber threats, has announced a Ransomware Task Force (RTF) dedicated to ransomware attacks. RTF includes partners from industry, government, law enforcement, nonprofit, cybersecurity insurance and international organizations that will work together to provide ransomware remediation recommendations, according to a prepared statement.
RTF partners will assess existing security solutions at varying levels of the ransomware kill chain, identify gaps in solution applications and create a roadmap of objectives and milestones for high-level decision-makers, IST indicated. They also will commission expert papers and engage stakeholders across industries to explore ways to help organizations identify and mitigate ransomware attacks.
A Closer Look at RTF's Founding Partners
Founding RTF 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
- The Strauss Center for International Security and Law at The University of Texas at Austin
- Venable LLP
RTF will launch a website that details its full membership and leadership roles next month.
Ransomware Trends to Watch in 2021
Global organizations have been increasingly exposed to ransomware attacks over the past few years, and this trend appears likely to continue in 2021. In fact, British cybersecurity company Sophos indicated there are three ransomware trends that could get worse in the new year:
- Persistent ransomware attacks from big-name and level-level cybercriminals
- Secondary extortion in which cybercriminals publish an organization's critical data if their ransomware demands are not met
- Use of popular tools, utilities and network destinations in ransomware attacks
To combat ransomware attacks, global organizations require threat hunting, incident response and other advanced cybersecurity services, Sophos indicated. By partnering with MSSPs, these organizations can leverage managed security services to identify and mitigate ransomware attacks in their early stages.
