'Releasing the Hounds?' Disruption of the Ransomware Ecosystem Through Offensive Cyber Operations

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216224%3A14220%2F22%3A00125964" target="_blank" >RIV/00216224:14220/22:00125964 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://ccdcoe.org/uploads/2022/06/CyCon_2022_book.pdf" target="_blank" >https://ccdcoe.org/uploads/2022/06/CyCon_2022_book.pdf</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.23919/CyCon55549.2022.9811074" target="_blank" >10.23919/CyCon55549.2022.9811074</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

'Releasing the Hounds?' Disruption of the Ransomware Ecosystem Through Offensive Cyber Operations

Original language description

Ransomware groups represent a significant cyber threat to Western states. Most high-end ransomware actors reside in territorial safe-haven jurisdictions and prove to be resistant to traditional law enforcement activities. This has prompted public sector and cybersecurity industry leaders to perceive ransomware as a national security threat requiring a whole-of-government approach, including cyber operations. In this paper, we investigate whether cyber operations or the threat of cyber operations influence the ransomware ecosystem. Subsequently, we assess the vectors of influence and characteristics of past operations that have disrupted the ecosystem. We describe the specifics of the ransomware-as-a-service system and provide three case studies (DarkSide/BlackMatter, REvil, Conti) highly representative of the current ecosystem and the effect cyber operations have on it. Additionally, we present initial observations about the influence of cyber operations on the system, including best practices from cyber operations against non-state groups. We conclude that even professional, highly skilled, and top-performing ransomware groups can be disrupted through cyber operations. In fact, cyber operations can even bypass some limits imposed on law enforcement operations. Even when ransomware groups rebrand or resurface after a hiatus, we suggest their infrastructure (both technical, human, and reputational) will still suffer mid- to long-term disruption. Although cyber operations are unlikely to be a silver bullet, they are an essential tool in the whole-of-government and multinational efforts and may even grow in importance in the next several years.

Czech name

—

Czech description

—

Type

D - Article in proceedings

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

50501 - Law

Project

<a href="/en/project/EF16_019%2F0000822" target="_blank" >EF16_019/0000822: CyberSecurity, CyberCrime and Critical Information Infrastructures Center of Excellence</a><br>

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2022

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Article name in the collection

2022 14th International Conference on Cyber Conflict: Keep Moving

ISBN

9789916978900

ISSN

2325-5366

e-ISSN

—

Number of pages

23

Pages from-to

93-115

Publisher name

NATO CCDCOE Publications

Place of publication

Tallinn

Event location

Tallinn

Event date

May 31, 2022

Type of event by nationality

WRD - Celosvětová akce

UT code for WoS article

000853652000006