Security News > 2021 > May > A Peek Inside the Underground Ransomware Economy
Ransomware is not just a type of malware - it's also at the center of a sophisticated, flourishing underground economy that has all the conventions of legitimate commerce.
At the center of the scene is the fact that ransomware operators often adopt affiliates, to whom they provide ransomware-as-a-service offerings.
Affiliates can be seen as the channel partners of the underground, responsible for ransomware distribution to end victims.
That's according to a recent analysis by Kaspersky of the three main underground forums where ransomware is circulated.
Individuals purchase ransomware software based off of price as well as their own use cases, according to Warren: "As such, good ransomware strains ultimately get a following; actors will often keep up with and purchase new versions of the same ransomware project as they are released."
That could change; a coalition of 60 global entities has proposed a sweeping plan to create a ransomware task force, to hunt down and disrupt ransomware gangs by going after their financial operations.