The UK Home Office has announced a public consultation seeking views on three proposals aimed at reducing the ransomware threat to businesses.
The three proposals are:
- A targeted ban on ransomware payments for all public sector bodies and critical national infrastructure – expanding the existing ban on ransomware payments by government departments.
- A ransomware payment prevention regime – increasing the National Crime Agency’s awareness of live attacks and criminal ransom demands, providing victims with advice and guidance before they decide how to respond, and enabling payments to known criminal groups and sanctioned entities to be blocked. This regime would support disruptive operations.
- A mandatory reporting regime for ransomware incidents – maximising the intelligence used by UK law enforcement agencies to warn of emerging ransomware threats and target their investigations on the most prolific and damaging organized ransomware groups.
The consultation will close at 5pm on 8th April 2025.
