International ransomware-fighting group gets to work

An international effort to counter ransomware formally commenced operations yesterday.

Cyber security minister Clare O'Neil

The International Counter Ransomware Task Force (ICRTF) is part of the 37-member Counter Ransomware Initiative (CRI), and announced after a meeting in Washington in November last year.

Australia is the first chair of the ICRTF, which will be hosted in the Department of Home Affairs’ Cyber and Critical Technology Coordination Centre.

The taskforce is now accepting membership nominations from the other 36 countries in the CRI.

In a statement, minister for home affairs and cyber security Clare O’Neil said the taskforce will focus on “information and intelligence exchanges, sharing best practice policy and legal authority frameworks, and collaboration between law enforcement and cyber authorities”.

The Department of Home Affairs said the ICRTF will “act as the way through which the CRI connects with industry for defensive and disruptive threat sharing and actions”.

Australia has experienced a string of high-profile ransomware incidents recently, with Medibank, Optus, Fire Rescue Victoria, Queensland University of Technology and others among the victims.

The remaining members of the CRI are Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Lithuania, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Republic of Korea, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Ukraine and the EU.