In the last few decades, cybercrime have evolved rapidly. As it stands today, we are seeing cybercrime function more as a subscription economy, with hacking tools now being licensed, updated, and supported like commercial software.
Cyber criminals are allowing for scalable, on-demand services that make it easy for those with little technical knowledge to be able to launch sophisticated cyberattacks. In today’s blog we will discuss how cybercrime has evolved into a subscription economy and how businesses may be affected.
The Evolution of Cybercrime into a Subscription Economy
Cybercrime has long been a growing concern with it estimated to cost the world $10.5 trillion annually by 2025. What has changed in recent time is how hacking tools have been packaged and sold. In the past, many attacks were executed by highly skilled individuals or hacking groups. Today, cybercrime has embraced the subscription economy, offering hacking tools and services through structured marketplaces and service tiers.
This shift mirrors the rise of legitimate SaaS (Software as a Service) models. Just as businesses are subscribing to tools like Salesforce and Microsoft 365, novice cybercriminals are using MaaS (Malware as a Service) or PhaaS (Phishing as a Service) kits. These have significantly increased cyberattack volume.
Photo by Statista
The Rise of Plug-and-Play Hacking Tools
Before the cybercrime subscription economy, hackers had to have a vast knowledge of computer science in order to create sophisticated cyberattacks. Nowadays, anyone with a credit card can pull off a sophisticated cyberattack. Some of the most common hacking tools we are seeing today are:
- Ransomware Kits (RaaS): These services will usually operate with a monthly fee, one-time fee, affiliate program, or profit-sharing revenue model. The Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack in 2021 was the result of an RaaS attack using a DarkSide ransomware variant.
- Phishing as a Service (PhaaS): PhaaS has turned DIY operations into a polished subscription service. There are platforms that handle everything from creating convincing pages to sending bulk emails, all for a fee. We are far past the days of obviously malicious phishing emails.
- DDoS-for-Hire Platforms: Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are designed to overload a network with massive amounts of fake traffic, which can cause downtime. Typically these attacks are done by professionals, but now we are seeing DDoS for hire. This allows novices to purchase access to networks of infected computers to run these attacks.
These hacking tools have resulted in continually increased levels of cybercrime. Businesses should be concerned at this revelation, but there are ways to take a proactive approach to this service-based criminal model.
(How ransomware as a service (RaaS) may work)
Photo by Microsoft
Why This Matters for Businesses Today
The rise of cybercrime as a subscription economy has lowered the barrier to entry for attackers. What used to require advanced coding knowledge and skills can now be done with pre-packaged hacking tools, purchased online like any other subscription service.
For businesses, this means:
- More frequent attacks: With cybercrime scalable and on-demand to where even non-technical individuals can launch attacks, businesses should expect a massive jump in frequency of cybercrime.
- Broader target ranges: Small and mid-sized businesses are especially vulnerable to these attacks as they often lack dedicated security teams. An estimated 51% of small businesses have no cybersecurity measures in place, making them a prime target for a cyberattack.
- Higher recovery costs: Ransomware payouts, data loss, and downtime are all rising in the cost to recovery. Even a single breach can have long-term financial and reputational consequences.
- Evolving threats: Similar to how subscribing to a software comes with updates, cybercriminals will update their hacking tools with more support and advanced technique as time passes.
In this new model, cybercriminals are operating like businesses. This means that your business needs to treat cybersecurity as a strategic priority, not an afterthought.
Finding a Partner to Fight a Subscription Based Threat
Cybercrime is no longer reserved for sophisticated hackers or hacking gangs. Cybercrime now operates at a scale and speed that outpaces the ability of many organizations to respond effectively.
As cybercrime continues to operate like a business, organizations must treat cybersecurity as an ongoing operational priority rather than a one-time investment. Threats are evolving quickly, and the financial damage from even a single breach can be devastating. Small and mid-sized businesses are especially vulnerable, often lacking the internal resources to keep up.
To stay secure in this environment, you need a trusted IT and cybersecurity partner who can help counteract this new trend of modern subscription-based cybercrime. A Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) can help deliver continuous, proactive protection and expert guidance tailored to your business needs.
At Kirkham IronTech, we’re here to help you stay ahead of evolving threats with the right protection, guidance, and peace of mind. Contact us today to start a conversation about securing your business.
Tom Kirkham brings more than three decades of software design, network administration, and cybersecurity knowledge to organizations around the country. During his career, Tom has received multiple software design awards and founded other acclaimed technology businesses.
