WASHINGTON–The Justice Department is reportedly forming a task force to take on the increasing threat from ransomware and other online extortion themes that continue to target financial institutions, schools, hospitals and other businesses.
As CUToday.info also reported here, the issue was also raised during last week’s NCUA board meeting.
According to several reports, the newly created initiative, the Ransomware and Digital Extortion Task Force, will include DoJ officials as well as those with the FBI and the Executive Office for United States Attorneys.
The task force will target the "ransomware criminal ecosystem as a whole," and will seek to prosecute the bad actors behind the attacks and those who launder money that's extorted, according to a DoJ memo cited by the reports.
"This will include the use of all available criminal, civil, and administrative actions for enforcement, ranging from takedowns of servers used to spread ransomware to seizures of these criminal enterprises' ill-gotten gains," the memo states.
The memo says the goals of the task force are to:
- Increase training and resources to address ransomware attack risks
- Boost intelligence gathering
- Leverage investigative leads, including connections between cybercriminal gangs and nation-state groups
- Improve coordination across the Justice Department