Not only the tech world, even hackers are being fired by organized crime groups

Hackers and ransomware groups appear to be the latest players in the tech industry to be hit by a wave of layoffs in the job market.

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal , investigators from the US Department of Justice and companies specializing in monitoring cybersecurity threats say that hackers demanding ransom payments from targets have is reduced.

Ransomware is a form of attack in which hackers will lock the data on the victim’s computer, encrypting the hard drive until the victim pays a ransom. But after years of skyrocketing, the amount paid to ransomware criminals has decreased by 2022, as is the likelihood that victims will pay ransomware criminals.

Analytics firm Chainalysis says the payments it tracks paid to ransomware groups dropped 40% last year, totaling $457 million. That’s $309 million less than 2021’s tally.

A hacker group called Conti even fired 45 call center operators last year. These are the people hired to carry out part of the phishing scheme, with the role of convincing potential victims to install remote access software on networks where they will then be infected with ransomware. . But when the revenue was not enough to cover the costs, these people were eventually laid off.

According to the report, this is partly because more and more companies are increasing their cybersecurity measures, due to demand from insurance companies themselves and their better understanding of the risks of malware. extortion after hit attacks. Companies are spending more money on backup software, which allows computer systems to restart after they are infected with malicious code.

“Four years ago, 85% of ransomware victims had to pay their attackers. Today, that number is 37%,” said Coveware cybersecurity company CEO Bill Siegel. As more victims refused to pay, hackers turned to look for more profitable targets.

According to research and consulting firm Gartner, countries in general are also increasing surveillance for ransomware attacks and trying to improve privacy regulations.

Nearly a third of countries are expected to introduce ransomware legislation by 2025, the company said in a report last June on predicted cybersecurity trends for the coming year. Also according to the report, in 2021, that number is less than 1%.

Refer to WSJ