It appears cybercrime is evolving at an accelerated pace as of right now. Do-it-yourself ransomware kits are flooding darknet marketplaces all around the world. The last thing the world needed was more convenient ways for criminals to create and distribute their own type of ransomware. In fact, anyone with access to the darknet can now start building up their malware empire.
Ransomware DIY Kits Are Common on The Darknet
It takes very little effort to develop and distribute malware these days. In the early days of ransomware, sophisticated crime gangs were the only ones able to accomplish such a feat, which allowed them to earn millions of dollars. The past two or three years saw the introduction of ransom-as-a-service, allowing anyone to piggyback on the coding skills of others in exchange for a fee. A convenient service for aspiring criminals, to say the least.
However, some ransomware developers are looking to make things even more accessible to anyone with malicious intent. Do-it-yourself malware kits can be found on nearly every darknet marketplace in existence right now. Even though these kits have been circulating for some time already, it appears there is a surge in available products to choose from. It is not hard to see why developers are doing this, as these DIY kits allow them to make more money in the process.
Two of the most popular malware DIY kits are AKBuilder and Microsoft Word Intruder. AKBuilder is pretty straightforward to use, as it allows users to package malware payloads into documents that can easily be distributed through spam email campaigns. For some unknown reason, people are more prone to download document files rather than PDFs or zip files. Malware distributors and developers will make sure to exploit this “weakness” in every possible way they can.
Microsoft Word Intruder, on the other hand, is tweaked on a regular basis. In most cases, this DIY malware toolkit used Microsoft Office exploits to wreak as much havoc as possible. In the latest DIY kit update, however, MWI can now infiltrate computers by using non-Microsoft Office exploits. This only confirms cyber criminals are taking things to the next level so they can infect as many computers as possible.
Keeping in mind how the darknet has become the favorite hangout place for internet criminals, making these DIY kits widely accessible does not bode well for computer users. All of these kits come with very clear and simple instructions on how they can configure the software for optimal results. With more competition in the malware distribution scene, the chance of computer users getting infected with malicious software only increases.
Even people with illicit intent and a grave lack of coding knowledge can make use of these DIY kits in mere minutes. Anyone who is hungry for money – and who isn’t these days – can start to earn hard cash by getting involved in the malware game. Although most malware distributors are eventually caught by law enforcement, easily accessible tools will undoubtedly sway some people’s mind to give ransomware distribution a try. As a result, the number of new ransomware types will only increase exponentially as time goes by.
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