By Israel Barak
Ransomware has become one of the most—if not the most—prevalent, effective and successful forms of cybercrime. Ransomware is simple to create and distribute and offers cybercriminals an extremely low-risk, high-reward business model for monetizing malware. Combine this with the fact that most companies and people are unprepared to deal with ransomware, and it’s clear why it has become the fastest growing cyber threat to date.
Simple code, sophisticated e-marketing
Ransomware propagates through the same channels as regular malware—mainly email, but also through compromised or malicious websites and pirated software. Ransomware code is often not sophisticated, but it doesn’t need to be. This is because unlike many types of traditional malware, in most cases ransomware does not need to remain undetected for long to achieve its goal. What is more sophisticated about ransomware is the e-marketing effort that drives its distribution.
Ransomware purveyors are often savvy e-marketers who know their targets. It is not uncommon for a ransomware gang to run multiple campaigns at the same time, with tiered pricing based on a variety of parameters such as vertical…
