This post is also available in: heעברית (Hebrew)

Last year marked a turning point in the fight against ransomware as the collaboration among law enforcement agencies led to high-profile arrests, and the business of ransomware has become riskier for the criminals. Western law enforcement agencies formed dedicated units, such as Europol’s Joint Cybercrime Action Task Force or the FBI’s National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force. This led to breakthrough arrests and the seizure of millions of dollars in cryptocurrency.

These efforts are forcing the ransomware ecosystem to change, as Yelisey Boguslavskiy, head of research at security consultancy Advanced Intelligence told techmonitor.ai. But instead of weakening the ecosystem, it may be simply clearing out the less sophisticated groups. “The arrests are clearing the weaker ones, and those who are smart enough not to get arrested, they will keep growing,” he said.

This could give rise to a few, highly sophisticated groups that dominate the ransomware business. However, the bigger these groups become, the more of a target they are for law enforcement. As a result, they are diversifying their methods to avoid detection by using a wider variety of attack vectors. Some ot the groups are automating their attacks or reducing their reliance on affiliates, partner organizations that help identify and infect targets with their malware. 

Prepared to dive into the world of futuristic technology? Attend INNOTECH 2023, the international convention and exhibition for cyber, HLS and innovation at Expo, Tel Aviv, on March 29th-30th

Interested in sponsoring / a display booth at the 2023 INNOTECH exhibition? Click here for details!