To understand Ransomware as a Service (RaaS) and how it impacts Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) we must first understand ransomware and Software as a Service (SaaS) and how these intersect.
Putting in the software as a service (SaaS) or platform as a service’s (PaaS) shoes, ransomware as a service (RaaS) offers an interactive package. A typical RaaS service includes a well-etched interface, a dashboard to control the entire operation, a ransomware vector, and often a helpline, user reviews, and forums. RaaS operators offer their services in three different business models- timely subscription, lifetime license, and affiliate program.
Before the RaaS model was developed, ransomware developers would prefer attacking large companies as the ransom collected would have to be large enough to justify their effort and risk in developing and deploying the ransomware. Development of ransomware required great skill which limited the number of ransomware developers and therefore the number of attacks. Under the RaaS model, the attack can be carried out by an affiliate who has no coding knowledge, which significantly increases the number of attackers. It now becomes profitable for ransomware operators to attack a large number of smaller victims which opens the floodgates to attacks on SMBs, which is supported by attack statistics: the USA reports that 50-70% of all ransomware attacks target SMBs. This is a nightmare for SMBs because the disruption caused by a ransomware attack may be sufficient to shut down operations.
Ransomware as a Service (RaaS) is a growing cybercrime model where ransomware developers lease out their tools to other attackers, making it easier for even low-skilled criminals to launch high-impact attacks. This has led to a surge in ransomware incidents, often involving double extortion tactics—encrypting data and threatening to leak it unless a ransom is paid. Traditional security measures aren't enough to stop these evolving threats. That’s why businesses turn to cybersecurity providers like SafeAeon, which offers 24/7 threat detection, ransomware prevention, and expert-managed security services to help organizations stay protected and resilient against RaaS attacks.
Ransomware is quite complex and not easy to develop, especially as businesses are ramping up their protection against ransomware and therefore ransomware developers have to increase the sophistication of the ransomware to evade enterprise defences. Continuous development of ransomware leaves the developers with little time to search for suitable victims and carry out attacks. They have therefore applied the SaaS delivery model to ransomware to create Ransomware as a Service where the developer provides the ransomware on a subscription or commission basis to affiliates who identify potential victims and carry out attacks. RaaS offerings can be very sophisticated with developers advertising their offerings on the dark web and offering dashboards for the affiliates to use to monitor their attacks. Some RaaS providers even include Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks and voice-scrambled VoIP calls to the victim’s business partners and the media as part of their service to increase pressure on the victim to pay the ransom. From the threat actors’ point of view, this is a superior model as division of labour creates specialisation, increases productivity, and improves return on investment. However, this is bad news for victims especially for SMBs.
Jan Raas was born on November 8, 1952.
Jan Raas was born on November 8, 1952.
Naser al-Raas was born in 1983.
Elinor Raas Heller was born in 1904.
Elinor Raas Heller died in 1987.
The subscription-based RaaS service works just like any other SaaS or streaming service. The operator (often, a group of malware authors) offers its ransomware-related service for a limited period in exchange for a mentioned price in Bit-Coin, Ethereum, and other popular cryptocurrencies.
Jan Raas is 58 years old (birthdate: November 8, 1952).
Srikrushna Raas Leela - 1979 is rated/received certificates of: India:U