Ransomware has become an increasingly damaging presence, wreaking havoc on organizations of all sizes and across industries. Without understanding the traditions that underpin these malicious strategies, combatting them can feel like a daunting task.
In part one, we explore ransomware’s evolution to gain perspective on how cybercriminals adapt their tactics in response to changing threats. This entry looks into factors that trigger changes in cyber criminals’ business models.
Triggers for a paradigm shift
Cybercriminals are a savvy and adaptive bunch, capable of quickly changing their business model in response to changes within the information security landscape. These are several triggers that could prompt them to make subtle evolutions or major revolutions in ransomware operations:
Increase in successful law enforcement activities against ransomware groups
Law enforcement and security researchers are in an ongoing battle against ransomware groups, with multi-jurisdictional takedowns of criminal organizations and computer experts’ monitoring activities posing a major threat to the spread of this malicious software.
As these efforts aim to make it more difficult for hackers, paranoia is arising within their ranks that someone may be working undercover with law enforcement or other security professionals.
Government regulations on cryptocurrency
The advent of cryptocurrency has enabled cross-country monetary exchanges with a high degree of anonymity, greatly incentivizing cyber criminals to deploy ransomware. Consequently, appropriate regulations on the usage and circulation of digital currencies can help limit this activity by reducing its financial reward.
However, cryptocurrency regulations are expected to have an impact, potentially making
Read more