July, 2021

This paper examines how ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) gangs have morphed into an ever-evolving and elusive threat, deploying increasingly sophisticated malware in tandem with advanced deception methodologies to evade detection, and maintain persistent access to victim networks and compromised devices. Most notably, research and observations from the darknet point to the likelihood that the recent string of ransomware attacks are not as random as they would want us to perceive, but in fact are indicative of a more organized and elaborate cyber stratagem.