A White House spokesperson commented in a recent interview that when Bitcoin became more widely used, we saw a spike in ransomware because it was a way of moving money across borders. Also he said:
“This is a threat that knows no borders, and we need to deal with it in a way that knows no borders. The threat has clearly evolved. Government House is coordinating with some 36 countries to establish a new Bitcoin ransomware fight plan to ensure such problems become a thing of the past.”
The current 36-country group is called the Anti-Ransomware Initiative (CRI), and it was formed during a virtual global summit aimed at stopping ransomware for good. The group will also work with up to 13 private companies to see what messages they can send on how to address the growing threat.
In addition, the White House spokesperson also said that this is only the first round of getting the perspective of the company to ensure that we are not doing this in the traditional government way, this is just government-to-government. We are also attracting the private sector because of their unique visibility, capabilities and insights.