Nine months after the launch of the No More Ransom (NMR) project, an ever-growing number of law enforcement and private partners have joined the initiative, allowing more victims of ransomware to get their files back without paying the criminals.

The platform is now available in 14 languages and contains 40 free decryption tools. Since the last report in December, more than 10 000 victims from all over the world have been able to decrypt their affected devices thanks to these tools available free of charge.

“As an industry we remain committed to addressing the challenges facing modern society, and it’s excellent to welcome in many more partners. However, if you are reading this and your organization is not a member, ask yourself what can you do to address this growing threat. It’s imperative we put aside any other priorities and focus on collaboration against the threat of ransomware,” said Raj Samani, Raj Samani, Mcafee Fellow, Chief Scientist at McAfee.

About No More Ransom

No More Ransom was launched in July 2016 by the Dutch National Police, Europol, Intel Security (now McAfee) and Kaspersky Lab, introducing a new level of cooperation between law enforcement and the private sector to fight ransomware together. Since the launch, dozens of partners from all continents have joined. This shows that ransomware is a worldwide problem that needs to be and will be fought together.

Statistics show that most visitors to the platform come from Russia, the Netherlands, the United States, Italy and Germany.

Previously available in English, Dutch, French, Italian, Portuguese and Russian, the webpage has now been translated to Finnish, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, Slovenian, Spanish and Ukrainian. More languages are expected to be made available soon in order to better assist victims across the globe.

New ransomware decryption tools

Since December, 15 ransomware decryption tools have been added to the platform, offering new decryption possibilities to the victims:

• AVAST: Alcatraz Decryptor, Bart Decryptor, Crypt888 Decryptor, HiddenTear Decryptor, Noobcrypt Decryptor and Cryptomix Decryptor
• Bitdefender: Bart Decryptor
• CERT Polska: Cryptomix/Cryptoshield decryptor
• Check Point: Merry X-Mas Decryptor and BarRax Decryptor
• Eleven Paths – Telefonica Cyber Security Unit: Popcorn Decryptor
• Emsisoft: Crypton Decryptor and Damage Decryptor
• Kaspersky Lab: Updates on Rakhni and Rannoh Decryptors.

“It is great to see more tools and partners become part of the NoMoreRansom.org project. We at BH Consulting have been involved in the initiative as we believe the best way to tackle the scourge or ransomware and cybercrime is for us to work together. Together we are stronger and by sharing tools, methodologies, and goals we make it more difficult for the criminals. This initiative is a great example of how to make public/private partnerships against cybercrime be effective and valuable,” Brian Honan, CEO at BH Consulting, told Help Net Security.