December 19, 2024 – The Institute for Security and Technology’s Ransomware Task Force, now in its fourth year of action, is excited to welcome Zscaler and Mastercard as new supporters. In addition, for 2024, we are grateful for the sustaining support of Craig Newmark Philanthropies, AWS, Bank of America, Banco Santander, Microsoft, Palo Alto Networks, and the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise, with support from the Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación of the Kingdom of Spain and the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy of the United States Department of State.
Together, these philanthropic partners ensure the ongoing success of the Ransomware Task Force, enabling it to continue countering the threat of ransomware nationally and internationally.
New to supporting the Ransomware Task Force this year is Zscaler, a zero trust cloud services provider that anticipates, secures, and simplifies the experience of doing business for the world’s most established companies. “Zscaler is thrilled to join the Ransomware Task Force’s global community and contribute to these collective activities to drive meaningful outcomes,” said Ryan Gillis, SVP, Global Head of Government Partnerships, Zscaler.
Also new to supporting the Ransomware Task Force this year is Mastercard. “Public-private partnerships are essential to combating cybercrime and enhancing our collective defense,” says Michael Lashlee, Chief Security Officer. “Working together, we can take steps that will make the digital economy more secure. That starts by sharing best practices and insights through efforts like the IST’s Ransomware Task Force.”
Craig Newmark Philanthropies provides foundational support for the Ransomware Task Force, having previously given $1,000,000 for 2024 support for the work of the Ransomware Task Force. “I believe strongly in the power of Cyber Civil Defense. When we all come together to tackle cyber threats like ransomware and to sustain the digital ecosystem, we are all safer,” Craig reflected. “IST and its efforts to protect the digital ecosystem is a big part of that.”
“We are grateful to our new and existing philanthropic partners for their continued support of the Ransomware Task Force,” said Ransomware Task Force Executive Director and IST Chief Strategy Officer Megan Stifel. “Their philanthropic contributions enable our ongoing work to tackle the threat of ransomware through in-depth research, expert working groups, timely policy guidance, and follow-through on the RTF’s original 48 recommendations.”