Victims of one the newest - and most unusual - families of ransomware could now be able to recover their files without giving into the demands Attack.Ransom of criminals because decryption tools have been released for free . A GandCrab ransomware decryption tool has been released as part of the No More Ransom initiative , following a combined operation by Bitdefender , the Romanian Police , the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism ( DIICOT ) and Europol . GandGrab first appeared in January and has already claimed over 53,000 victims around the world , making it what Europol describe as `` one of the most aggressive forms of ransomware so far this year '' costing Attack.Ransom each victim anything from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand . This variant of the file-locking malware is unusual in a number of ways : not only is it spread via the use of exploit kits - a tactic usually reserved for the likes of trojans and cryptocurrency miners - it is also the first form of ransomware to ask for payments Attack.Ransom in Dash . Most other forms of ransomware demand the ransom Attack.Ransom be paid Attack.Ransom in bitcoin or Monero . The spread of GandGrab has also been helped along by a cybercrime-as-a-service scheme which offers a toolkit for deploying the ransomware in exchange for wannabee crooks giving the original authors a cut of their profits . It 's unknown which specific cybercriminal operation is behind GandGrab . However , the ransomware is advertised on Russian hacking forums , with the authors explicitly instructing those who become a part of the partnership scheme not to target Russia or any other country in the Commonwealth of Independent States of former Soviet republics . But regardless of who might be distributing GandCrab , now victims do n't need to pay a ransom Attack.Ransom to those looking to cash in on it , because the decryption tool is available for free from the No More Ransom portal and from Bitdefender . `` Ransomware has become a billion-dollar cash cow for malware authors , and GandCrab is one of the highest bidders , '' said Catalin Cosoi , senior director of the investigation and forensics unit at Bitdefender . In order to help prevent falling victim to ransomware , Bitdefender recommends regularly back-up sensitive data and to be wary of suspicious email attachments and malicious links . Launched in 2016 , the No More Ransom Attack.Ransom scheme brings law enforcement and private industry together in the fight against cybercrime and has helped thousands of ransomware victims retrieve their encrypted files without lining the pockets of crooks . The portal is available in 29 languages and since its launch has has received over 1.6 million visitors from a total of 180 countries . The release of GandCrab decryption tools comes shortly after an operation involving Europol , the Belgian National Police and Kaspersky Lab led to the release of free decryption tools for Cryakl ransomware .

Although Robert Herjavec , an investor on ABC 's `` Shark Tank , '' expects the price of bitcoin to `` skyrocket , '' he has no plans to personally buy any . That 's because as the CEO of cybersecurity firm Herjavec Group , he does n't want to support the growing trend of hackers using cryptocurrency . `` I ca n't invest in something that my enemy uses as funds , '' he explained on CNBC 's `` Squawk Alley . '' Indeed , `` If there was no cryptocurrency , much of the large hacks that we 're seeing today would n't exist , '' Herjavec told Money . As one example , Herjavec is concerned with the role cryptocurrency plays in ransomware attacks Attack.Ransom . `` Cryptocurrency permits anonymity , '' he explains to CNBC Make It . `` It 's a very popular form of payment for ransomware in particular . '' Ransomware is a type of software that locks or encrypts a computer user 's data and files , in affect holding it hostage . To release the information , a hacker will demand a ransom payment Attack.Ransom . Ransomware attacks Attack.Ransom increased 6,000 percent in 2016 from 2015 , according to a study from IBM Security . And in 2017 , 200,000 computers in 150 countries belonging to businesses , governments and even the U.K. National Health Service were impacted Attack.Ransom by the ransomware virus known as WannaCry . In that case , victims were told to make a payment Attack.Ransom in bitcoin to get their computers back . Hackers often demand the ransom Attack.Ransom be paid in cryptocurrency because it allows them to remain anonymous , Herjavec says . `` I can take over your computer or personal information , hold it for ransom Attack.Ransom , give you instructions on how to create a virtual wallet , force Attack.Ransom you to pay Attack.Ransom me , and you have no way of finding out who I am , '' Herjavec explains . That 's because a bitcoin wallet is only identified by a number , and `` payments are direct without a bank or credit card company acting as the middle man , '' Herjavec says . `` There is no money trail , so it 's very difficult to track back to an individual . '' With WannaCry , the hackers asked for Attack.Ransom $ 300 worth of bitcoin from victims , and if they waited over 72 hours to pay Attack.Ransom , the fine increased to $ 600 . If they waited a week , their information would be locked for good . The Trump administration pointed to North Korea as the originator of the attack . In 2016 , ransomware was used to coerce Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center , a hospital in Los Angeles , to pay Attack.Ransom 40 bitcoin to hackers , The New York Times reports . That sum was then worth $ 17,000 . Bitcoin closed at $ 10,779.90 on Tuesday , March 6 , according to CoinMarketCap , which makes those 40 coins worth about $ 431,196 . To protect yourself from ransomware attacks Attack.Ransom , take steps to secure your online information . `` Keep your computer and data safe by backing up often , using cloud services with dual factor authentication and complex passwords , '' Herjavec suggests . `` Have anti-virus [ software ] installed and kept up to date . ''