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RANSOMWARE GANGS SEEK PEN TESTERS TO BOOST QUALITYRANSOMWARE GANGS SEEK PEN
TESTERS TO BOOST QUALITY

Qualified applicants must be able to test ransomware encryption and find bugs
that might enable defenders to jailbreak the malware.

Robert Lemos, Contributing Writer

November 29, 2024

4 Min Read
Source: TippaPatt via Shutterstock


Businesses are not the only organizations looking for skilled cybersecurity
professionals; cybercriminals are also advertising for individuals capable of
creating dark AI models and penetration-testing products — that is, ransomware —
to reduce the chance of defenders finding ways to circumvent the scheme.

In advertisements on Telegram chats and forums — such as the Russian Anonymous
Marketplace, or RAMP — ransomware affiliate groups and initial access providers
are seeking cybersecurity professionals to help find and close holes in their
malware and other attack tools, security firm Cato Networks stated in its "Q3
SASE Threat Report." In the past, the firm's threat researchers have noted
advertisements seeking developers capable of creating a malicious version of
ChatGPT.

The search for more technical talent highlights the recent success of law
enforcement and private companies in taking down botnets and helping defenders
recover their data, says Etay Maor, chief security strategist at Cato Networks.

"They definitely want to make sure that all the effort they're putting into
their software is not going to be turned over when somebody finds a
vulnerability," he says. "They're really stepping up their game in terms of
approaching software development, making it closer to what an enterprise would
do than what is typically seen today from other development groups."

The search for better software security is the latest sign of technical
evolution among cybercriminal groups. In Southeast Asia, cybercriminal
syndicates have grown from illegal gambling and drug cartels into enterprises
that rake in more than $27 billion a year, fueling improvements in money
laundering, technical development, and forced labor.


PENETRATION TESTING JUST THE LATEST

As cybercriminal groups grow, specialization is a necessity. In fact, as
cybercriminal gangs grow, their business structures increasingly resemble a
corporation, with full-time staff, software development groups, and finance
teams. By creating more structure around roles, cybercriminals can boost
economies of scale and increase profits.

Currently, the top ransomware groups are LockBit, RansomHub, PLAY, Hunters
International, and Akira — all likely using more structured roles and
cybercriminal services to operate efficiently, according to a 2024 review of the
top ransomware groups by threat intelligence firm Recorded Future, now part of
Mastercard International.

"These emerging groups and platforms bring new and interesting ways to attack so
organizations need to be on their toes and adjust their cybersecurity
accordingly," the company stated in a blog post. "As they evolve, understanding
their modus operandi and targets will be key to mitigating the impact."

New cybercriminals groups are always appearing, and that also means new
opportunities for skilled cybercriminals. The first half of 2024 saw 21 new
ransomware groups appear in underground forums, although many of those new
groups are likely rebranded versions of previous groups that had splintered.
Overall, 68 groups posted more than 2,600 claimed breaches to leak sites in the
first six months of the year, a 23% increase over the same period in 2023,
according to cybersecurity firm Rapid7.

Most malware and tools created by the groups use C or C++ — the programming
language used in 58 samples — but the use of more modern, memory-safe languages
is growing, with Rust used in 10 samples and Go used in six samples, according
to a report released by Rapid7, which noted "the complexity of the ransomware
business model, with groups coming and going, extortion tactics intensifying,
builders and code 'leaking' — and all the while, the overall scope of the threat
only expanding."


MORE AGGRESSIVE DEFENSE

Finally, some groups required specialization in roles based on geographical need
— one of the earliest forms of contract work for cybercriminals is for those who
can physically move cash, a way to break the paper trail. "Of course, there's
recruitment for roles across the entire attack life cycle," Maor says. "When
you're talking about financial fraud, mule recruitment ... has always been a key
part of the business, and of course, development of the software, of malware,
and end of services."

Cybercriminals' concerns over software security boil down to self-preservation.
In the first half of 2024, law enforcement agencies in the US, Australia, and
the UK — among other nations — arrested prominent members of several groups,
including the ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware group and seized control of
BreachForums. The FBI was able to offer a decryption tool for victims of the
BlackCat group — another reason why ransomware groups want to shore up their
security.

Current geopolitical disruptions, which can lead to highly skilled people
unemployed, are making it more likely that cybercriminals groups will be able to
convince legitimate cybersecurity professionals to take a risk and do illegal
work, Cato Networks' Maor says.

"There's people ... losing jobs in Eastern Europe because of the current war
situation, so unfortunately you see that in the underground forums, where you
have smart people there, who — at the end of the day — need to put food on the
table," he says. "If that means they have to resort to jobs that are not
necessarily super legal, if that's what they need to do to pay the bills, then
they'll pop up on these forums and be like, 'Hey, I worked for this company. I
have this knowledge ... and I can offer access.'"




ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robert Lemos, Contributing Writer



Veteran technology journalist of more than 20 years. Former research engineer.
Written for more than two dozen publications, including CNET News.com, Dark
Reading, MIT's Technology Review, Popular Science, and Wired News. Five awards
for journalism, including Best Deadline Journalism (Online) in 2003 for coverage
of the Blaster worm. Crunches numbers on various trends using Python and R.
Recent reports include analyses of the shortage in cybersecurity workers and
annual vulnerability trends.

See more from Robert Lemos, Contributing Writer
Keep up with the latest cybersecurity threats, newly discovered vulnerabilities,
data breach information, and emerging trends. Delivered daily or weekly right to
your email inbox.

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