‘I don’t see it happening’: CISA chief dismisses ban on ransomware payments

Jen Easterly, director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), expressed skepticism about the feasibility of a U.S. ban on ransomware payments during her appearance at the Oxford Cyber Forum. Despite efforts to reduce ransomware attacks, Easterly noted the difficulty in gauging success due to the lack of a baseline. She highlighted the new Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act (CIRCIA) as a tool to better understand the cyberattack ecosystem. Easterly also endorsed CISA’s pre-ransomware notification initiative and emphasized the need for a Secure-by-Design approach to effectively combat ransomware. Comparisons were made to similar regulatory efforts in the UK and Europe.

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