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Experts Discover Ransomware-as-a-Service Available at a Bargain for Cybercriminals

By Marcos Colon

As if ransomware attacks couldn’t get any worse, cyber miscreants that haven’t dabbled with the threat can now do so for a low price.

Experts at security firm Recorded Future have discovered a new ransomware variant dubbed Karmen that’s being sold on the black market for $175.

The ransomware, which is being advertised by a Russian-speaking hacker called DevBitox, features a user-friendly dashboard and gives buyers the ability to modify the malware, have a view into the total machines they’ve infected, and provides a tally of overall profit.

Although an investigation revealed that DevBitox was selling the malware on underground forums in March 2017, “the first cases of infections with Karmen were reported as early as December 2016 by victims in Germany and the United States,” according to a blog post by Recorded Future that details the threat.

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