RANSOM WAR
How Cyber Crime Became a Threat to National Security
by Max Smeets
Malicious and mysterious.
Smeets, author of No Shortcuts: Why States Struggle To Develop a Military Cyber-Force, explains that criminals, often based in Russia, send out malicious viruses that freeze a computer’s software and then demand a ransom in exchange for a code to unfreeze it. More recently, they have added a double extortion: threatening to publish stolen data if not paid. These groups have thrived within a highly professionalized criminal ecosystem of recognized brands and offshoots that offer ransomware as a service—criminals sign up, and the service takes care of technical details in exchange for a fee. Smeets delivers a detailed account of the operation of Conti, for several years the world’s largest ransomware group. His work was possible because Conti enthusiastically supported Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and an outraged Ukrainian with access to their files leaked thousands. Smeets divides Conti’s framework into three elements: modus operandi, organizational structure, and branding and reputation. Generous with charts and excerpts from its files, he delivers a detailed portrait of a highly specialized if inefficient criminal ecosystem; even its leaders are in their 20s and 30s. Readers expecting tales of devilish cybercrimes or law enforcement triumphs will realize their error within a few pages. This is not an exposé but a sober exploration of an ongoing high-tech extortion racket. Including a fair amount of technical language that’s over the heads of the average computer user, it seems directed at business students or executives with some responsibility for security.
An expert look at the ins and outs of ransomware.