Joint Statement of the Ministers and Representatives from
the Counter Ransomware Initiative meeting
October 2021
Having gathered virtually on October 13 and 14 to discuss the escalating global security threat
from ransomware, we the Ministers and Representatives of Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada,
Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, Estonia, European Union, France, Germany, India,
Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Lithuania, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria,
Poland, Republic of Korea, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine,
United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States recognize that ransomware is
an escalating global security threat with serious economic and security consequences.
From malign operations against local health providers that endanger patient care, to those directed
at businesses that limit their ability to provide fuel, groceries, or other goods to the public,
ransomware poses a significant risk to critical infrastructure, essential services, public safety,
consumer protection and privacy, and economic prosperity. As with other cyber threats, the threat
of ransomware is complex and global in nature and requires a shared response. A nation’s ability
to effectively prevent, detect, mitigate and respond to threats from ransomware will depend, in
part, on the capacity, cooperation, and resilience of global partners, the private sector, civil society,
and the general public.
Governments recognize the need for urgent action, common priorities, and complementary efforts
to reduce the risk of ransomware. Efforts will include improving network resilience to prevent
incidents when possible and respond effectively when incidents do occur; addressing the abuse of
financial mechanisms to launder ransom payments or conduct other activities that make
ransomware profitable; and disrupting the ransomware ecosystem via law enforcement
collaboration to investigate and prosecute ransomware actors, addressing safe havens for
ransomware criminals, and continued diplomatic engagement.
Resilience
Network resilience is about more than technical capabilities – it also requires effective policy
frameworks, appropriate resources, clear governance structures, transparent and well-rehearsed
incident response procedures, a trained and ready workforce, partnership with the private sector,
and consistently enforced legal and regulatory regimes. These efforts will naturally reflect each
nation’s unique domestic context, and may vary from one nation to the next.
However, several universal cybersecurity best practices can dramatically reduce the likelihood of
a ransomware incident and mitigate the risk from a host of other cyber threats. These basic steps
include maintaining offline data backups, use of strong passwords and multi-factor authentication,
ensuring software patches are up to date, and education against clicking suspicious links or opening
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