U.S. Treasury puts crypto industry on notice over rising ransomware attacks

The Treasury said the average amount of reported ransomware transactions per month in 2021 was $102.3 million.

The U.S. Treasury on Friday said suspected ransomware payments totaling $590 million were made in the first six months of this year, more than the $416 million reported for the whole of 2020, as Washington put the cryptocurrency industry on alert about its role in combating ransomware attacks.

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The Treasury said the average amount of reported ransomware transactions per month in 2021 was $102.3 million, with REvil/Sodinokibi, Conti, DarkSide, Avaddon, and Phobos the most prevalent ransomware strains reported.