Cyber Security Firm Carbon Black has come up with a report which states that Ransomware developers are getting a pay equivalent to software developers and that’s also encouraging the cyber crooks in launching more cyber attacks. The report also involves the greater ransomware industry as a whole, which now involves billions of dollars of financial activity per year.
Carbon Black ransomware report says that ransomware authors are nowadays earning $163,000 to $280,000 per year, which is double than an average salary of a software developer or an IT professional. And when an earnings scale of the world is taken, most ransomware developers from Europe are said to be earning 3 times more than what is being said above.
On an additional note, as the risk of being caught is minimal due to tax-free earnings from ransomware, it is also encouraging young lads in taking up jobs of spreading the malware as a service.
The report also includes a fact that the use of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency forms and TOR browser has led to an explosion in the ransomware market in past 3 years i.e 2014-2017.
Carbon Black said in a statement that though ransomware existed for some time now, the proliferation of bitcoins and TOR has lowered the barrier of entry to launch ransomware attacks. And as a result of it, the underground economy of ransomware has emerged on a massive scale in past couple of years.
So, for tech enthusiasts who are interested in making a tech career, ransomware development seems to be a booming industry with job opportunities.
But remember, if you are caught or found guilty of any such criminal activity in the cyber world, it could not only end your career but also spoil your entire life forever.
FYI, nations like North America, Canada, and Europe only impose fines and a jail term for those found guilty. But some nations in the Middle East like Dubai can also impose heinous punishments like hanging till death- depending upon the committed crime.