Cisco Takes Down Angler Exploit Kit Which Generated $30 Million Annually
Posted by: Timothy Weaver on 10/07/2015 09:35 AM
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Security researchers from Cisco Systems' Talos security unit disrupted an online criminal operation they estimated drew $30 million per year pushing ransomware on unsuspecting people browsing the Internet.
The researchers found that a large percentage of infected end users were connecting to servers operated by service provider Limestone Networks which was passing the Angler exploit kit.
The hack-by-numbers tool is sold in underground crime forums to people who don't want to go through the hassle of developing and testing exploits themselves.
The exploit kit was targeting 90,000 end users per day. If just three percent of targets paid the average ransom demand of $300, the operation would generate more than $30 million in 12 months.
Talos researchers wrote: "This is a significant blow to the emerging hacker economy where ransomware and the black market sale of stolen IP, credit card info and personally identifiable information (PII) are generating hundreds of millions of dollars annually."
Ransomware came into vogue in 2013 and has seen may copycats which have affected huge numbers of people including some inside police departments, government agencies, and small- and medium-sized businesses.
Source: Arstechnica
The researchers found that a large percentage of infected end users were connecting to servers operated by service provider Limestone Networks which was passing the Angler exploit kit.The hack-by-numbers tool is sold in underground crime forums to people who don't want to go through the hassle of developing and testing exploits themselves.
The exploit kit was targeting 90,000 end users per day. If just three percent of targets paid the average ransom demand of $300, the operation would generate more than $30 million in 12 months.
Talos researchers wrote: "This is a significant blow to the emerging hacker economy where ransomware and the black market sale of stolen IP, credit card info and personally identifiable information (PII) are generating hundreds of millions of dollars annually."
Ransomware came into vogue in 2013 and has seen may copycats which have affected huge numbers of people including some inside police departments, government agencies, and small- and medium-sized businesses.
Source: Arstechnica
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