The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in conjunction with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), as well as the Interstate Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), has asked US citizens to report any information related to bitcoin wallets of cyber criminals. These organizations have also issued a white paper with recommendations for finding information to prevent damage from ransomware attacks.
As part of the #StopRansomware campaign, citizens have been warned about the Vice Society. This software encrypts data and requires a ransom in cryptocurrencies to unlock it. According to law enforcement officers, a surge in ransomware attacks targeting educational institutions and other sectors of public life is expected in the near future. It was noted that the most vulnerable organizations and groups of citizens will be attacked.
The FBI has urgently asked for help with information that will allow them to track the whereabouts of hackers and scammers. Boryu investigations are interested in information not only about bitcoin wallets, but also IP addresses, geolocations, and other personal data associated with the attacker. This will help track illegal transactions on blockchains.
It has been reported that only 0.15% of crypto-related criminal activity was detected in 2021, which is extremely low.
Despite this, federal agencies strongly discouraged Americans from paying a ransomware ransom to unlock data. According to them, this does not guarantee a positive result. Files of victims of criminals can be deleted in any case.
