Check Point Software Technologies : and Europol Collaborate to Help Companies Avoid Being Held to Ransom

Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd., the largest pure-play security vendor globally, is partnering with Europol, the European Union's law enforcement agency, to offer both companies and individuals an overview about the growing threat of ransomware.

Check Point and Europol have jointly published a report, 'Ransomware: What You Need to Know', that traces the rapid evolution of ransomware from early variants such as Cryptolocker, which emerged in 2013, to the current high-profile ransomware threats, including the Locky, CryptXXX, TorrentLocker, Jigsaw and Cerber families. The report describes the specific attack methods used by each ransomware family, and covers which have decryption tools available, to enable organizations and individuals to unscramble data if they are attacked.

The Check Point and Europol report also gives detailed, practical advice for organizations and individuals on preventing ransomware from infecting their machines, and best-practice tips on how to respond to and recover from a ransomware attack.

Oded Gonda, VP Technology & Innovation at Check Point said: 'The new report gives both businesses and individuals a clear, concise guide to the fast-evolving ransomware threat and how they can protect themselves against it. Closer cooperation between security companies and international law enforcement will be critical in fighting back against ransomware and helping to reduce the impact of large-scale campaigns, which is why we are working closely with Europol to spread awareness of the growing ransomware threat'.

Check Point is part of Europol's Cybercrime Center Internet Security Advisory Board, and is an associate partner of the international No More Ransom project, a collaboration between law enforcement agencies and the private sector to fight ransomware together. Check Point is offering its cybersecurity experience and technical expertise to help develop new solutions in the fight against ransomware. Members include enforcement agencies from 22 countries across Europe, as well as The European Commission and cybersecurity specialist companies.

At the www.nomoreransom.org portal, users can find detailed information on how to protect themselves against ransomware, and on an extensive range of free tools to help them unlock and decrypt devices scrambled by a range of ransomware variants, all at no cost.

Download the joint Check Point and Europol report: https://www.europol.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/ransomware-what_you_need_to_know.pdf.

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