Ransom-War, Part 2b: Profits Versus Patriotism
Russian Cybercriminals face tension between making money, serving the motherland, and avoiding prison time
This is part 2b of the series “Ransom-War.”1 Part 1 introduced the concept of hybrid ransomware: how ransomware attacks serve both financial and political motives and may play a role in Russia's ongoing "hybrid warfare" against the West. In part 2a we looked at how Russian cybercriminals portray themselves as warriors for the Russian state against its enemies, particularly the United States. They are willing to work for the Russian government and make business decisions in Russian strategic interests. In this section, we look at how events surrounding the Russian invasion of Ukraine heightened the tension Russian ransomware hackers faced between profit-making and their duty to the Russian motherland.
Tension Between Duty and Profit
Previous postings have explored aspects of Russian cybercriminals’ patriotism and cooperation with state intelligence services, based on online forum …
