Representatives from 36 countries and the European Union met this week in Washington at the White House's call for a summit on the thorny issue of ransomware, to better coordinate ways to combat this "
borderless
" problem. s».
It was the second international summit on these computer attacks carried out through malware, which paralyze companies and public services and only unblock them in exchange for a ransom, often in bitcoins.
"
Ransomware is a global challenge that requires global cooperation to achieve global solutions
," Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor to President Joe Biden, said Tuesday at the conclusion of the two-day meeting.
Among the countries present were Australia, France, the United Arab Emirates, Israel and Ukraine.
Participants discussed “
policy sharing and coordination on ransom payments
,” and a joint working group is to be established.”
starting in the first quarter of 2023
,” according to Anne Neuberger, White House adviser on these issues.
It is also about “
strengthening our diplomatic cooperation to refuse to be a refuge for actors in the ransomware sector
” and to share information on malware to better defend ourselves “
collectively
”, specified Jake Sullivan.
“
If we work together, we can deprive (the perpetrators of the attacks) of oxygen.
We can make the environment more hostile for them and break their business model,
” said David Koh, Singapore representative.
The meeting took place last year in a virtual format.
This year, companies have been invited, such as the American giant Microsoft, the German group Siemens or the Indian conglomerate Tata, according to a senior American official.