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The folks like this should actually do a startup. Hardening security is often just keeping up with and following checklists, installing proper monitoring, backu

The folks like this should actually do a startup. Hardening security is often just keeping up with and following checklists, installing proper monitoring, backup and audit software however for large majority of company it is impossible to hire competitive security specialists. These guys can scale up by hiring 100s of employees who they train on different aspects and contract with small firms like these at annual subscription. That would enable them making much more than $10M. With their current approach they will almost certainly get traced eventually and end up in jail.

vermilingua 6y ago
They are likely based in a country not regarded to be a technology leader. Say you were the CTO of a firm looking to improve security, would you engage a Nigerian cybersec consultant? Almost certainly not, you would look in your home country, or the US/Europe. If they were to start a consultancy, even if they are as skilled as anyone else, they’d have an uphill battle from the get go; and have to either stick to their home market, or heavily discount their services. Either way making less than from their ransomware.
limomium 6y ago
Even just hiring one guy whose only job is to take backups would solve ransomware for much cheaper.
- DangitBobby 6y ago
  There was a post on here a few days back about why it's not that simple. Basically, by the time your stuff is ransomed, they've potentially been in your network for a long time. There's no telling how far you have to go in your backups to make sure they are gone. Who knows, maybe they wait on your computers for several months just so restoring from backups isn't a realistic option, and punish you for trying.
  - limomium 6y ago
    What? I mean back up your data. Not your whole... computer, or whatever. Install latest software, import data from back up, back in business. It's trivial to tell intact data from ransomed data - the latter looks like random noise, as it's encrypted. If your backup process "isn't that simple", then you should make it that simple. Otherwise failure looms.
    - DangitBobby 6y ago
      You misunderstand. I'm saying the network has potentially been infiltrated for months, and there's no telling what configuration and files have been altered to facilitate future infiltration. See further discussion here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23929344 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23929344 Particularly this conversation: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23951941 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23951941
      - limomium 6y ago
        Disconnect entire network. Factory reset all devices. Reinstall latest everything.
        DangitBobby 6y ago
        Clearly you know best
wtracy 6y ago
> These guys can scale up by hiring 100s If you live in the third world, that immediately puts you on the radar of corrupt government officials and organized criminal organizations that want to extort you. The ransomware gig allows you to stay small and keep a low profile. Nobody has to know that you are raking in the cash until you pack up your family and book it to Tahiti. > With their current approach they will almost certainly get traced eventually and end up in jail. Prison in a first world country is a lot better than getting executed, watching your family get executed, or getting kidnapped and forced into slave labor for the local mafia boss.
csomar 6y ago
> With their current approach they will almost certainly get traced eventually and end up in jail. Depends. If they are a couple guys (or a single guy), and it's a one shot for him, he has very good odds of getting away with it. Cleanly launder his BTC and then move somewhere not suspicious and keep a low profile. At the end of the day, $4m is not that much money (ie: not able to afford multiple Ferraris).

vermilingua 6y ago

They are likely based in a country not regarded to be a technology leader. Say you were the CTO of a firm looking to improve security, would you engage a Nigerian cybersec consultant? Almost certainly not, you would look in your home country, or the US/Europe. If they were to start a consultancy, even if they are as skilled as anyone else, they’d have an uphill battle from the get go; and have to either stick to their home market, or heavily discount their services. Either way making less than from their ransomware.

limomium 6y ago

Even just hiring one guy whose only job is to take backups would solve ransomware for much cheaper.

DangitBobby 6y ago
There was a post on here a few days back about why it's not that simple. Basically, by the time your stuff is ransomed, they've potentially been in your network for a long time. There's no telling how far you have to go in your backups to make sure they are gone. Who knows, maybe they wait on your computers for several months just so restoring from backups isn't a realistic option, and punish you for trying.
- limomium 6y ago
  What? I mean back up your data. Not your whole... computer, or whatever. Install latest software, import data from back up, back in business. It's trivial to tell intact data from ransomed data - the latter looks like random noise, as it's encrypted. If your backup process "isn't that simple", then you should make it that simple. Otherwise failure looms.
  - DangitBobby 6y ago
    You misunderstand. I'm saying the network has potentially been infiltrated for months, and there's no telling what configuration and files have been altered to facilitate future infiltration. See further discussion here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23929344 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23929344 Particularly this conversation: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23951941 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23951941
    - limomium 6y ago
      Disconnect entire network. Factory reset all devices. Reinstall latest everything.
      - DangitBobby 6y ago
        Clearly you know best

wtracy 6y ago

> These guys can scale up by hiring 100s If you live in the third world, that immediately puts you on the radar of corrupt government officials and organized criminal organizations that want to extort you. The ransomware gig allows you to stay small and keep a low profile. Nobody has to know that you are raking in the cash until you pack up your family and book it to Tahiti. > With their current approach they will almost certainly get traced eventually and end up in jail. Prison in a first world country is a lot better than getting executed, watching your family get executed, or getting kidnapped and forced into slave labor for the local mafia boss.

csomar 6y ago

> With their current approach they will almost certainly get traced eventually and end up in jail. Depends. If they are a couple guys (or a single guy), and it's a one shot for him, he has very good odds of getting away with it. Cleanly launder his BTC and then move somewhere not suspicious and keep a low profile. At the end of the day, $4m is not that much money (ie: not able to afford multiple Ferraris).