Online ransomware has skyrocketed in the United States over the past two years. And often, attackers demand from their victims a cryptocurrency that cannot be tracked.
American law enforcement agencies began to look for criminals engaged in extortion on the Internet. Particular attention is paid to the search for hackers demanding bitcoins or other virtual coins. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Cybersecurity Agency and the Interstate Clearinghouse decided to join forces to protect citizens. These departments issued a collective letter calling on Americans to provide them with information about the activity of intruders.
Law enforcers predict a sharp increase in the number of attacks on educational institutions this year. The FBI is asking citizens to provide information about wallets to which hackers are demanding funds be transferred. Having a monitoring system, the bureau will be able to reach the final recipient of the cryptocurrency. The US authorities also urge victims not to pay ransoms to criminals, as the latter often do not fulfill their obligations, and hacked files cannot be restored or returned.