7 Trends: How Ransomware Operations Continue to Evolve
Gov Info Security
Mathew J. Schwartz
Ransomware continues to be many criminals' weapon of choice for reliably shaking down victims small, medium and large, in pursuit of a safe, easy and reliable payday.
But the ransomware landscape itself continues to evolve in numerous ways. For example, the arrival of new players remains constant, while big names occasionally bow out. Some gangs run complex ransomware-as-a-service operations, tapping specialists in network penetration, negotiations, malware development and more. Many others, however, lack the budget and staffing necessary to reliably take down big targets, so they operate on the periphery. And while many operations run their own data-leak sites, even these come with operational challenges.
As ransomware attacks continue, here are seven ways the ecosystem continues to evolve:
1. Groups Rise and Fall
Security firms continue to...