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Ransomware groups are adopting a decentralized, franchise-like model where taking down one unit does not stop the overall criminal operation.
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Initial access brokers usually rely on dark web tools, keep their identities hidden, and target third party vendors with weak security.
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Security pros advise that companies should start thinking like hackers and find weak spots in their systems before the bad guys do. Cybercrime’s getting more intense these days.
Criminal gangs are changing their game and becoming harder to stop. They’re not just using the same old methods but are spreading out their operations, which makes it a lot harder to take them down.
The Rise of Decentralized Criminal Franchises
Ransomware gangs are now mimicking business franchises. This insight comes from Ryan Cole, a product technical specialist at dark web intelligence firm Searchlight Cyber.
He explained the logic at a recent financial security summit. “If they’re centralized and are taken down, that pretty much kills the entire operation,” Cole said. The new decentralized model changes everything.
According to Cole, if one group goes down, the rest can easily pick up what’s left and carry out their operations. This structure ensures the criminal business survives even if a part of it is dismantled by law enforcement.
Financial institutions remain the top prize for these groups. They are targeted for their high-value networks and data. The attackers enabling them, called initial access brokers, use a potent mix of tools.
They work from secret locations overseas, stay hidden online, and use shady dark web marketplaces (for a detailed explanation of this hidden part of the internet, see our guide on what the dark web is). A lot of times, they don’t attack their target head-on. Instead, they go after a third-party company that doesn’t have very good security.
Beat Them By Joining Their Mindset
So how can companies defend against this adaptable threat? Cole offers a straightforward strategy. To stop an attacker, you’d have to think like one. “Attack yourself before they do,” Cole suggests.
He stresses that speed is the critical factor. The race is about who finds a vulnerability first. “A vulnerability has to exist in order for an attack to be carried out,” Cole noted.
This means proactively simulating attacks on your own infrastructure. These controlled exercises help identify security blind spots before real criminals do.
Cole works with Searchlight Cyber’s product team. He shows clients how dark web intelligence provides tactical value. His focus is on using this data to improve threat investigations.
The dark web’s role is central. It is a key marketplace for selling stolen credentials and attack tools. (To understand how these marketplaces are structured and operate, you can read our guide on the top dark web sites.)
The dark web’s role is central. It is a key marketplace for selling stolen credentials and attack tools. These sales fuel the initial breaches that lead to major ransomware incidents.
Gaps in the supply chain make breaches way more likely. Companies can’t just focus on their own security. They need to assess the digital security of their partners and suppliers.
The message is clear. The old ways of defending are not enough. Cybercriminals are now working with these decentralized models.
Rather than cash, decentralized networks like crypto are used for payment and cashing out, making them even harder to catch. Defense now requires an attacker’s perspective and constant, proactive hunting.
Using Proactive Intelligence to Fight Decentralized Crime
So, how do we fight these tough, new crime networks? We need to stop just defending ourselves and start getting ahead of them.
Security experts are advocating for a new playbook: using the criminals’ own digital habitat against them. As Searchlight Cyber pointed out in one of their reports, advanced dark web monitoring is now a critical tool in this offensive.
This technology makes it easier to track crime involving crypto. It automatically watches dark web spots and forums (unlike public search engines, monitoring these requires specialized tools; for more on navigating this space, see our article on the best dark web search engine), so investigators don’t have to search through tons of stuff manually.
They get quick alerts about new dangers in real time and can keep up with talks about crypto mixers that criminals use to hide the money trail. Also, they can spot when criminals make mistakes and use services that can be traced, like centralized exchanges.
This method connects anonymous digital wallets to actual people, making the dark web not just a hiding place anymore, but a goldmine of evidence.
Investigators used this proactive intelligence to successfully carry out major takedowns, like the Hydra Marketplace. It also enabled the partial recovery of the Colonial Pipeline ransom.
By adopting these tools and an attacker’s mindset, institutions are not just defending. They’re hitting the heart of the criminal franchise model hard to scatter their operation. It’s a high-speed chase now, and every second counts.
