This will certainly require more effort than creating ransomware that is randomly distributed via email, but will increase the monetary gain.
"It's unlikely that an organization will hesitate if the deal is worth a few hundred thousand dollars. I have no doubt," says Alperovitch, "that if the ransom is ten million, it will be paid. When your business is collapsing before your eyes and you're facing millions of dollars in losses, all rational considerations disappear, and if you can, you'll pay what's necessary, and the board and CEO will make that decision without any hesitation."
However, not every cybercriminal group will spend the time and resources to attack specific targets, and ransomware will continue to be distributed randomly through spam emails because that still works.
And, as the 2017 incidents demonstrated, their effect will be portugal whatsapp data by the use of SMB exploits like EternalBlue or EternalRomance, which help ransomware spread across the network with minimal effort.
Cybercriminals aren't about to forget about such exploits. Bad Rabbit once again demonstrated how many organizations simply ignore critical patches released more than six months ago, so that attackers can freely exploit recently discovered vulnerabilities, taking advantage of the carelessness of enterprises and users regarding installing updates.
“I would say there is a high risk that malware creators will increase their ability to spread across networks. They will do what they normally do, whether it’s ransomware or other malware, but with an emphasis on network spreading,” says Holly Williams, head of penetration testing at Sec-1.