Ransomware

Ransomware-as-a-Service: The Criminal Gig Economy

Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) has industrialised extortion. Developers build the malware, affiliates purchase access, and the profits are split. The result: professionalised operations that target organisations of every size.

Threat Simulation

RaaS Affiliate

Affiliates deploy payload, ArchiveX and MDR intercept lateral move.

How the RaaS Supply Chain Works

  • Access brokers sell stolen credentials or VPN footholds.
  • Affiliate operators rent the ransomware kit and infrastructure.
  • RaaS developers maintain payloads, leak sites, and payment portals.
  • Money launderers convert cryptocurrency into fiat.

Why SMBs Are in the Crosshairs

Canadian SMBs are targeted because they keep valuable data, often lack 24/7 security coverage, and are pressured to pay quickly to resume operations. Affiliates can run dozens of intrusions in parallel, betting that a fraction will pay six-figure ransoms.

Ransomware affiliate ecosystem diagram

Disrupting the Model

  • Harden access: enforce MFA everywhere and disable legacy protocols.
  • Monitor continuously: managed detection and response to catch hands-on-keyboard behaviour.
  • Render extortion useless: move to immutable backups (ArchiveX) with rehearsed recovery.
  • Plan the response: document legal, insurer, and regulator engagement workflows ahead of time.

Questions to Ask Your Security Team

  • Do we have visibility into failed logons, privilege escalation, and living-off-the-land tools?
  • Can we detect and stop unauthorised use of remote management tools?
  • How quickly can we restore critical systems if production becomes encrypted?
  • Have we rehearsed the first 24 hours of a ransomware incident with executives?