White House officials told the meeting attendees this week that the rise in ransomware attacks has continued throughout the first half of 2023, and recent attacks have targeted health care systems, major private sector organizations and academic institutions.

One study published by the AI-based cybersecurity firm CloudSek shows a 95% surge in attacks targeting the government sector last year. Reports indicate ransomware attacks targeting government institutions are on the rise. This year's joint statement commits participants to 'strong and aligned messaging discouraging paying ransomware demands and leading by example.' A first-ever initiative policy statement declares that member governments should not pay ransoms. A senior FBI official told a Senate panel in 2021 that outlawing payments would just create another opportunity for hackers to extort victims. It stops short of criminalizing of ransom payments. government has long advised victims not to pay extortion and has complicated payment by slapping sanctions on ransomware actors and groups. 'We're seeing the pace and the sophistication of the ransomware attacks increasing faster than our resilience and disruption efforts,' a White House official told reporters this time last year. White House officials in the past have said the international confab is making progress against ransomware, even as they acknowledged challenges. The Biden administration convened its third meeting of the initiative just as security researchers warn that the volume of known ransomware attacks has surged to record-breaking levels (see: Known Ransomware Attack Volume Breaks Monthly Record, Again). The International Counter Ransomware Initiative, now entering its third year, includes 48 countries and representatives from the European Union and Interpol. See Also: Live Webinar | Generative AI: Myths, Realities and Practical Use Cases Reports indicate ransomware attacks targeting international government institutions are on the rise.Ī U.S.-led global coalition against ransomware endorsed a joint policy statement declaring that member governments should not pay ransoms.

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