Word of the Day & Pop Quiz: ransomware as a service

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Word of the Day & Pop Quiz Daily updates on the latest technology terms | September 22, 2020 ransomware as a service Ransomware as a service (RaaS) is a procurement model on the dark web for malware that can be used to conduct a ransomware attack.   Ransomware is a type of malicious software that makes it impossible to access a computer system or specific types of data until a financial payment is paid. Ransomware as a service offers a turnkey solution for cybercriminals who lack the skills or resources to develop their own. The "as a service" procurement model also allows the malware author to increase earnings while decreasing personal risk. Ease of use is at the core of the RaaS business model and this makes it particularly dangerous to small and mid-size organizations. Once a purchase has been made, the RaaS customers will be granted access to a package of pre-built scripts and tools that are hard to detect and take very little technical skill to operate. Since its emergence in 2016, a family of low-code, no-code ransomware apps -- referred to as Dharma -- has established itself as having a very effective mass-market, service-based business model. Continue reading...   Take the Quiz! The answer choices are listed below.   1. If you are caught distributing _____________, you can be arrested for financial extortion. a. cryptocurrency b. ransomware Answer 2. What is the dark web? a. an encrypted portion of the internet that is not indexed by search engines b. a family of web browsers designed for anonymous web surfing Answer 3. What do you call encryption at the hardware level? a. full-disk encryption b. homomorphic encryption Answer 4. Digital ransoms are often paid through Bitcoin. What is Bitcoin? a. a digital currency not backed by any country's central bank or government b. a computer program that controls the transfer of digital currencies between parties Answer 5. A low-code/no-code development platform is a visual IDE that allows ordinary people to drag and drop software modules and connect them together. What does IDE stand for? a. integrated development environment b. inept developer's ecosystem Answer Today's Takeaway "Dharma's ransomware-as-a-service offerings expand the range of people who can execute devastating ransomware attacks." - Sean Gallagher Eye on Tech Videos What is an IDE and What is it Used For? Learn how IDEs aid developer productivity and software development by consolidating tools for coding, building, and testing. Continue Learning How can enterprises mitigate ransomware as a service? A rise in ransomware attacks has been attributed to a new service model for cybercriminals. Nick Lewis explains what's behind this new threat. Cheap ransomware as a service arrives for malicious actors A new type of ransomware as a service has appeared on the dark web, with unique features and an inexpensive price to attract malicious actors. Avaddon ransomware operators having a go at double extortion The operators of the Avaddon ransomware seem to be tooling up to leak the data of their victims in addition to holding it to ransom, Cofense researchers confirm.   Big ransomware attacks overshadowing other alarming trends Large ransomware attacks on major enterprises have dominated the news, but security experts say there are other alarming trends. Maze ransomware gang uses VMs to evade detection Threat actors behind Maze ransomware have adopted Ragnar Locker's technique of using virtual machines to evade detection, according to new research by Sophos. Cyber attacks on schools increasing amid remote learning shift While ransomware attacks against the education sector are common, experts say threat actors are actively targeting schools this year as classrooms switch to remote learning. How Dharma ransomware became an effective services business New research looks under the bonnet of a Dharma ransomware attack, with the ransomware's ease of use being particularly dangerous for small to medium-sized enterprises. Pop Quiz Answer Key 1. ransomware 2. encrypted portion of the internet 3. full-disk encryption 4. Bitcoin digital currency 5. integrated development environment Stay in Touch   Thank you for reading! For feedback about any of our definitions or to suggest a new definition (or learning resource) please contact me at mrouse@techtarget.com FOLLOW US About This E-Newsletter The Word of the Day is published by TechTarget, Inc., 275 Grove Street, Newton, Massachusetts, 02466 US. Click to: Unsubscribe. 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