Emerging Malware Threats

Abstract

The cyberthreat landscape is constantly shifting as malicious actors find novel ways to take advantage of the security, infrastructure, and social weaknesses that arise. Ingenuity and simply trial-and-error are the driving forces, fueled by the end goal of extracting as much information or valuables as possible with the lowest risk for the attacker. The internet organized crime threat assessment (IOCTA), with an annual report provided by Europol, aims to identify the threat landscape for cybercrimes. The IOCTA report has characterized ransomware as a top priority threat and the most dominant one in cyberspace for three consecutive years. This chapter provides an overview of the current landscape and the driving force behind a large number of documented ransomware attacks: the financial gain. For ransomware and malware, no other means of propagation besides exploiting system vulnerability or using social engineering exists. The chapter explains the jurisdictional and judicial issues ransomware legislation faces.