Ransomware and Cyber Extortion: Response and Prevention

Chapter 2

Evolution

The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency.

— Bill Gates

Learning Objectives

• Describe early examples of cyber extortion and how they relate to modern-day attacks

• Understand how cyber extortion has evolved, including key technical developments that enable attackers

• Recognize how the development of specialized ransomware-as-a-service software and franchise models have spurred the growth of the cyber extortion industry

• Identify the tools and resources that criminal entities are using to scale up their attacks

Everything old is new again, and cyber extortion is no exception. Although the mass media often treat it as a new threat, cyber ...