Security News > 2021 > October > Cybercrime matures as hackers are forced to work smarter
An analysis of 500 hacking incidents across a wide range of industries has revealed trends that characterize a maturity in the way hacking groups operate today.
Researchers at Kaspersky have focused on the Russian cybercrime underground, which is currently one of the most prolific ecosystems, but many elements in their findings are common denominators for all hackers groups worldwide.
Hacking groups are now optimizing its member structure and providing distinct functional roles to each person.
Instead, hackers realized that it would be far easier and oftentimes more profitable to target companies with ransomware, RATs, and stealers, diverting payments through BEC attacks or forcing victims to pay a ransom.
"These days, the industries attacked are not limited to financial institutions and major attacks such as the ones we investigated in the past are thankfully no longer possible. Yet we can hardly say there is less cybercrime out there. Last year the total number of incidents we investigated was around 200. This year hasn't concluded yet, but the count is already around 300 and keeps going."
As the attacks increase in number, actor groups become more volatile and prone to disbanding, as collaborations are now limited to financial gains and not much else.