Affiliates and customers are being sought by the new Leak Bazaar cybercrime service, which was reported by Flare researchers to be promoted across the dark web as a service enabling the monetization of data stolen fromransomwareintrusions, according toThe Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.Mounting law enforcement clampdowns on ransomware operations may have led to the model employed by Leak Bazaar, noted Flare researcher Tammy Harper.”They’re trying to maximize extortion. The debate has always been what works best locking systems or stealing data. And the answer is: it depends on the victim. What hurts more?” said Harper. Meanwhile, Royal United Services Institute researcher Jamie McColl said the Leak Bazaar’s scheme is unlikely to gain traction, considering the challenges in deriving value from stolen data.”The only way I can really see this driving a significant market is if criminals’ current ways of making money start to fail. Most criminals are going to keep doing the lowest-effort activity that generates the greatest return. And right now what they’re doing is still working pretty well,” McColl added.
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