NZ Police are excited to announce they have become a supporting partner of the 'No More Ransom” project, an initiative which has helped more than 200,000 victims of ransomware recover their files free of charge since being launched in July 2016.

No More Ransom is a public-private partnership which provides an online portal where victims of ransomware can access decryption tools and keys for free.

The portal pulls together all decryption keys recovered by law enforcement partners, as well as decryption tools developed by industry partners around the world.

Detective Superintendent Iain Chapman, Acting National Crime Manager, says there is no doubt the No More Ransom project will benefit ransomware victims in New Zealand.

'All victims need to do is upload two encrypted files to the portal. The portal will identify the strain of ransomware involved, and if the appropriate keys or tools are held, it will automatically decrypt the victim's computer.

'We know the losses from ransomware are likely to be much higher than those reported to authorities.

'This is because a significant number of those affected by ransomware do not report incidents to authorities.”

No More Ransom estimates that since the portal was launched in 2016, more than $108 million in ransom payments has been prevented, hitting the criminal business model behind the ransomware hard.

'In general, those behind ransomware attacks demand around US$200 from victims to unlock their computers,” says Iain.

'Many victims pay up, making ransomware attacks a very profitable business for the offenders.

'No More Ransom completely disrupts their business model and puts the power back in the hands of the victims.”

Find out more about the No More Ransom initiative at nomoreransom.org