Not a day goes by without a new form of malware making quite an impact. Dot ransomware, a new ransomware-as-a-service offering found on the dark web, makes the distribution of this powerful malware rather straightforward. Regardless of previous technical expertise, any wannabe online criminal can start a ransomware campaign in a matter of minutes. A very troublesome development, that much is certain.

Dot Ransomware Will See Spectacular Growth Soon

When criminals start operating ransomware-as-a-service business models, things start going from bad to worse rather quickly. Dot ransomware is the latest such venture, which is quickly becoming more popular among dark web users. What is even more troublesome is how this service is offered free of charge, as long as the client shares 50% of the spoils with the operator.

Over the past year or two, the rise in popularity of ransomware has been quite remarkable. With so many computer systems and networks around the world remaining vulnerable to attacks, criminals are having a rather easy time to successfully encrypt sensitive data. The only way to restore file access – in most cases – is to pay a ransom demand in bitcoin. So far, this business model has proven to be quite successful.

Now that ransomware-as-a-service is becoming a new trend, things will only get worse from here on out. Dot ransomware can herald a new era of malware infections on a global scale, which could have severe consequences for both consumers and enterprises alike. By providing malicious software to the clients free of charge, there is no reason for online criminals not to give the service a try in the coming months. If this threat were to materialize, all hell would break loose.

Facilitating access to a life of cybercrime is the last thing our world needed right now. Dot ransomware empowers anyone and everyone to become a cyber criminal in a matter of minutes. While they will still have to share 50% of the spoils with the people responsible for this service business model, there is no drawback to giving the service a try by any means. Instead, it is believed the ransomware industry will only grow bigger as time progresses.

Luckily, it appears there is no large-scale distribution campaign taking place just yet. Then again, with this free tool accessible by anyone, this will only be a matter of time. Advertisements for this service have already popped up on hacking forums and various Darknet marketplaces so far. It is only a matter of time until someone decides to take the plunge and see what this service has to offer. After all, all it takes to get started is the Tor browser and a Bitcoin address.

Once again, services like these will continue to give bitcoin a bad name. Although criminals favor the popular cryptocurrency as a payment method for their crimes, bitcoin is incapable of providing hackers with anonymity or privacy. Once the Dot ransomware client provides the necessary information, they will receive a guide on how to proceed. Users also have access to a dashboard so they can keep track of their “performance”. Ransomware-as-a-service is a very troublesome business model, which seemingly only grows more popular at this time.

If you liked this article, follow us on Twitter @themerklenews and make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest bitcoin, cryptocurrency, and technology news.