From Cyprus Police:
May 12: AntiRansomwareDay2021
Ransomware cyberattacks are one of the biggest problems facing the authorities in recent years against cybercrime. Complaints of attacks on computers and systems, organisations, companies and ordinary citizens amount to hundreds of thousands each year. These are attacks on computers with malware or if you prefer ransomware, which prevents victims from accessing their computer system by encrypting their files. Essentially, that is, with this software, criminals lock the files and system of the computer and ask their victims to pay a ransom for unlocking it. Spreading malware is very easy, as it can spread on its own, through the internet and various infected websites.
The enormous scale of this problem has mobilised the authorities and private companies to deal with it. Joining forces and efforts was created in July 2016, the website "No More Ransom!" - www.nomoreransom.org, with the aim of informing the public about this online threat and helping victims of attacks recover their data. The Cyprus Police and in particular the Electronic Crime Sub-Directorate are also involved in this action.
Through the site, users who are victims of such attacks can learn about the type of malware that infected their computer and whether a decryption tool is available to recover their files. The relevant decryption tools for malicious software of the kind of ransomware are available through the website "No More Ransom!". This allows all victims of ransomware attacks to unlock their records without having to pay ransoms to deft people.
The website, which is available in various languages, including Greek, over time managed to cooperate
overall with a large number of law enforcement agencies and agencies, including the Cyprus Police. It has
helped tens of thousands of users recover their files after ransomware cyberattacks, saving millions in cash
as a ransom payment to perpetrators.
However, despite the important step taken with the creation of the "No More Ransom!" website and the
continuous upgrades of what it offers, there is still a long way to go to combat this problem definitively.
As the website states, "it is much easier to avoid the threat than to combat it when the system is
affected." For this reason, every internet user should be informed and take appropriate preventive
measures, since the best solution to dealing with ransomware-type cyberattacks is diligent prevention.
Simple prevention measures that internet users are encouraged to take are:
• Keep a backup of important data on a separate data storage medium
• Use reliable and up-to-date antivirus programs
• Do not download files from suspicious sources
• Do not open attached e-mail files from unknown senders
Every user should also be aware that if he falls victim to such deft, he should under no circumstances pay
the ransom demanded, as there are not a few times that despite the payment of the ransom, the deft
came back asking for more money. In such cases, the user-victim should immediately inform the Police.
For more information and prevention advice, the public can visit the "No More Ransom!"
website. www.nomoreransom.org.
