Slachtoffers van ransomware-aanvallen die weigeren te betalen: kettinganalyse

• Chainalysis stelde dat ransomware-aanvallers in 2022 ten minste $456,8 miljoen slachtoffers afpersden, tegen $765,6 miljoen in 2021.
• “Much of the decline is due to victim organizations increasingly refusing to pay ransomware attackers,” said the blockchain firm.
• Het meeste geld dat met de aanvallen werd verdiend, werd naar grote gecentraliseerde beurzen gestuurd, aangezien het gebruik van DEX's sterk is gedaald. 
• De levensduur van een soort daalde ook, waarbij de gemiddelde soort in 2022 70 dagen actief bleef, van 153 in 2021 en 265 in 2020.

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2022 was one of the most active years for hackers and fraudsters in the crypto industry, including ransomware attackers. These attackers use a type of software, which is actually malware from cryptovirology, that completely cuts off a user’s access to their personal data or threatens to reveal that data publicly if a ransom is not paid. Interestingly, the revenue of such attackers now continues to decline as victims have started refusing to pay them. 

Volgens een nieuwe blogpost from blockchain data firm Chainalysis, “Ransomware attackers extorted at least $456.8 million from victims in 2022, down from $765.6 million the year before.” This positive shift in the trend confirms the fact that victims are no longer afraid of such attackers after regulators have become increasingly active in the crypto industry, cracking down on all the developers who use their skills for bad purposes. 

Chainalysis also stated that the values it has found are not true and that there are still addresses of ransomware attackers that are yet to be identified. However, the blockchain data firm noted that the money made from such attacks is significantly down. As per the firm’s belief, “much of the decline is due to victim organizations increasingly refusing to pay ransomware attackers.” 

On the other hand, Chainalysis has reported a substantial growth in the number of ransomware strains in 2022 and also cited a report by cybersecurity firm Fortinet, which claimed that more than 10,000 strains of ransomware were active in the first half of 2022. Interestingly, Chainalysis said that “on-chain data confirms that the number of active strains has grown significantly in recent years, but the vast majority of ransomware revenue goes to a small group of strains at any given time.” 

Bovendien bleef de levensduur van ransomware in 2022 dalen en bleef de gemiddelde stam meer dan 70 dagen actief, wat meer dan 50% minder is dan 153 dagen in 2021 en 265 in 2020. Interessant genoeg bevestigde het blockchain-bedrijf ook dat de fondsen die via deze activiteiten worden gemaakt, worden meestal overgedragen aan grote gecentraliseerde crypto-uitwisselingen. 

“The share of ransomware funds going to mainstream exchanges grew from 39.3% in 2021 to 48.3% in 2022, while the share going to high-risk exchanges fell from 10.9% to 6.7%. Usage of illicit services such as darknet markets for ransomware money laundering also decreased, while mixer usage increased from 11.6% to 15.0%,” said Chainalysis.

Chainalysis verklaarde ook dat deze malware meestal functioneert als een ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS)-model, dat wil zeggen dat de ontwikkelaar de aanvallers toestaat hun software te gebruiken voor een klein deel van de inkomsten. Bovendien, zoals eerder gemeld door Bitnation, het Amerikaanse multinationale technologiebedrijf Microsoft heeft een aanval gedetecteerd met de naam DEV-013 dat specifiek gericht is op crypto-startups.

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