2017 Ransomware Economy Grows by 2,500%

2017 is the year of the ransomware. Between WannaCry and EternalRocks, ransomware is responsible for rinsing thousands of people and businesses to the tune of over $1 billion. In fact, security researchers from Carbon Black report deep web ransomware sales experienced a 2,500% increase this year.

Ransomware Economy in 2017

According to Carbon Black’s Threat Analysis Unit (TAU), over 6,300 dark web marketplaces sell ransomware. Furthermore, Carbon Black found up to 45,000 product listings. Different ransomwares costs between $0.50 and $3,000; the average price is $10.50. In fact, the most successful ransomware sellers make more than $100,000 per annum. Together, this boon means the ransomware economy grew by 2,500% from 2016 to 2017.

Carbon Black Reports

“Our research found that, from 2016 to 2017, there has been a 2,502% increase in the sale of ransomware on the dark web. This increase is largely due to a simple economic principle – supply and demand. Cybercriminals are increasingly seeing opportunities to enter the market and looking to make a quick buck via one of the many ransomware offerings available via illicit economies. In addition, a basic appeal of ransomware is simple: it’s turnkey. Unlike many other forms of cyberattacks, ransomware can be quickly and brainlessly deployed with a high probability of profit.

As our research found, these dark web economies are empowering even the most novice criminals to launch ransomware attacks via do-it-yourself (DIY) kits and providing successful ransomware authors with annual incomes into six figures.”