International Counter Ransomware Initiative

The International Counter Ransomware Initiative (CRI) is a voluntary coalition of states convened by the United States to coordinate collective responses to ransomware, which the participating governments treat as a transnational security and economic threat rather than a purely criminal matter. It was launched in October 2021 following a virtual summit hosted by the White House National Security Council, initially drawing roughly 30 participating countries plus the European Union. Membership has since expanded; by the third CRI summit in Washington in late 2023, more than 50 members were reported to have joined, and additional partners were added at subsequent convenings.

The initiative is organized around several thematic working groups, which over time have included streams on resilience, disruption of ransomware actors and infrastructure, countering illicit finance (particularly cryptocurrency-based laundering), public-private partnership, and diplomacy. Australia has led the disruption track and Singapore and the UK have co-led others; the US Department of State and NSC act as the central secretariat.

Notable deliverables include:

• A joint policy statement issued in November 2023 in which members declared that they would discourage paying ransomware demands, with specific language opposing payment by their own central government funds.
• A shared blocklist of cryptocurrency wallets linked to ransomware actors, hosted on infrastructure provided by the US Treasury.
• Coordinated tabletop exercises and information-sharing platforms among member CERTs and law enforcement.

The CRI is not a treaty body and produces no binding obligations; commitments are political. Critics note that key ransomware-source jurisdictions, especially Russia, are absent, limiting enforcement reach. Supporters argue it has normalized cross-border cooperation, raised the diplomatic cost of harboring ransomware groups, and built habits of joint attribution and disruption among likeminded states.