The FBI is asking for help to better understand the threat and impact of ransomware by urging victims of such malware to report incidents to federal law enforcement.
In a public service announcement issued Thursday, the FBI asked victims of ransomware incidents to report the attacks, regardless of the outcome.
"Victim reporting provides law enforcement with a greater understanding of the threat, provides justification for ransomware investigations and contributes relevant information to ongoing ransomware cases," reads the PSA. "Knowing more about victims and their experiences with ransomware will help the FBI to determine who is behind the attacks and how they are identifying or targeting victims."
The FBI requests victims contact their local FBI office and file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center with details of the attack, including: date of infection, ransomware variant, victim company information, how the infection happened, ransom requested, attacker's bitcoin wallet address, ransom paid, overall losses associated with the ransomware and an impact statement.
In the PSA, the FBI reiterates that it does not support paying a ransom to hackers, as it does not guarantee the victim will regain access to data and it encourages hackers to keep attacking.
More articles on ransomware:
Some hackers say hospitals are off-limits for ransomware attacks
10 things to know about ransomware
Rise in bitcoin linked to rise in ransomware