Evaluate the following item regarding the text below.

“Representatives from the U.S., the European Union, and 30 other countries pledged to mitigate the risk of ransomware and harden the financial system from exploitation with the goal of disrupting the ecosystem, calling it an "escalating global security threat with serious economic and security consequences." (…) The international counter-ransomware collaboration comes as illicit payments topped nearly $500 million globally in the last two years alone — $400 million in 2020 and $81 million in the first quarter of 2021 — necessitating the payment flows that make the activities profitable are subject to anti-money laundering regulations and the networks that facilitate these payments are held accountable.”

Fonte: https://thehackernews.com/2021/10/over-30-countries-

pledge-to-fight.html

The financial fund destined to the counterransomware initiative comes from illicit payments.