Senator to introduce new bill to force ransomware payment disclosures
Organizations would have 48 hours to inform DHS


Democratic senators will introduce legislation requiring ransomware victims to notify the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) within 48 hours of payment.
The Ransom Disclosure Act, introduced by Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Deborah Ross, would also force organizations to disclose the amount of ransom demanded and paid, the type of currency used for the ransom payment, and any known information about the entity demanding the ransom.
It would also require DHS to make public the information disclosed during the previous year, excluding identifying information about the entities that paid ransoms, and establish a website through which individuals can voluntarily report ransom payments.
Warren said that while ransomware attacks were “skyrocketing” there was a lack of critical data to go after cyber criminals.
“My bill with Congresswoman Ross would set disclosure requirements when ransoms are paid and allow us to learn how much money cybercriminals are siphoning from American entities to finance criminal enterprises -- and help us go after them,” she said.
The bill would also support a study on commonalities among ransomware attacks and the extent to which cryptocurrency facilitated these attacks and provide recommendations for protecting information systems and strengthening cybersecurity.
Ross added the US cannot continue to fight ransomware attacks with “one hand tied behind our back.”
Get the ITPro daily newsletter
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
“The data that this legislation provides will ensure both the federal government and private sector are equipped to combat the threats that cybercriminals pose to our nation,” she said.
Callum Roman, Head of Threat Intelligence at F-Secure, told ITPro that governments know ransomware is a problem — just how much of a problem is unclear.
RELATED RESOURCE
The best defence against ransomware
How ransomware is evolving and how to defend against it
“Compulsory reporting of ransomware payments could help shed light on the true scale of the problem and not just the tip of the iceberg we see reported in the media,” he said.
Roman added that the legislation may run into issues on reporting based on how and where organizations decide to pay the ransom. If they organize payment through an intermediary, will they have to report? If they pay the ransom from a company in their portfolio that is not under US jurisdiction (aka abroad), will they have to declare?
“There will always be ways round this type of legislation, but if constructed well, it can have a positive impact on informing the government of the real scope of the issue,” he added.
The most interesting aspect of the suggested legislation is the directive to the DHS to investigate the cryptocurrency facilitation of ransomware, according to Roman.” This may spark further legislation and focus on this medium by the US government. It certainly will help arm it with the information it needs to decide if this is an effective avenue for combating ransomware,” he said.
Rene Millman is a freelance writer and broadcaster who covers cybersecurity, AI, IoT, and the cloud. He also works as a contributing analyst at GigaOm and has previously worked as an analyst for Gartner covering the infrastructure market. He has made numerous television appearances to give his views and expertise on technology trends and companies that affect and shape our lives. You can follow Rene Millman on Twitter.
-
RSAC Conference 2025: The front line of cyber innovation
ITPro Podcast Ransomware, quantum computing, and an unsurprising focus on AI were highlights of this year's event
-
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei thinks we're burying our heads in the sand on AI job losses
News With AI set to hit entry-level jobs especially, some industry execs say clear warning signs are being ignored
-
LockBit data dump reveals a treasure trove of intel on the notorious hacker group
News An analysis of May's SQL database dump shows how much LockBit was really making
-
‘I take pleasure in thinking I can rid society of at least some of them’: A cyber vigilante is dumping information on notorious ransomware criminals – and security experts say police will be keeping close tabs
News An anonymous whistleblower has released large amounts of data allegedly linked to the ransomware gangs
-
It's been a bad week for ransomware operators
News A host of ransomware strains have been neutralized, servers seized, and key players indicted
-
Everything we know about the Peter Green Chilled cyber attack
News A ransomware attack on the chilled food distributor highlights the supply chain risks within the retail sector
-
Scattered Spider: Who are the alleged hackers behind the M&S cyber attack?
News The Scattered Spider group has been highly active in recent years
-
Ransomware attacks are rising — but quiet payouts could mean there's more than actually reported
News Ransomware attacks continue to climb, but they may be even higher than official figures show as companies choose to quietly pay to make such incidents go away.
-
Cleo attack victim list grows as Hertz confirms customer data stolen – and security experts say it won't be the last
News Hertz has confirmed it suffered a data breach as a result of the Cleo zero-day vulnerability in late 2024, with the car rental giant warning that customer data was stolen.
-
‘Phishing kits are a force multiplier': Cheap cyber crime kits can be bought on the dark web for less than $25 – and experts warn it’s lowering the barrier of entry for amateur hackers
News Research from NordVPN shows phishing kits are now widely available on the dark web and via messaging apps like Telegram, and are often selling for less than $25.