Jeremy Wanamaker | May 19, 2025
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Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) is a criminal business model where ransomware developers lease their malware to other attackers, often called affiliates. These affiliates use the ransomware to launch attacks, while the developers take a cut of any ransom payments collected.
| “Understanding how RaaS works and what makes it so dangerous is your first step to defending yourself against it.” – Jeremy Wanamaker, CEO of Complete Network |
RaaS operations are hard to trace and stop because they separate roles across many individuals, often in different countries. Developers, affiliates, and infrastructure providers operate independently, which makes coordination difficult for law enforcement.
That’s all the more reason why your organization needs a solid ransomware prevention strategy. Often, RaaS attacks are harder to deal with compared to individual-run ransomware attacks, and the average cost of payment increased by 500% from 2024 to 2025.
To help you protect yourself, this article will explore RaaS and how you can reduce your risk of ransomware threats.
No matter what types of cybersecurity threats we are discussing, prevention should always be your top priority. It’s much easier and more cost-effective to reduce your potential attack surface than it is to clean up after an attack. However, this is particularly true when it comes to RaaS.
The main reason why RaaS attacks are exceptionally difficult to react to is their unpredictability. Here is an overview of what we mean by that.
| Varying Skill Levels | Affiliates may use the ransomware in unpredictable ways, which can lead to inconsistent behaviors in how the malware spreads. |
| Negotiation Challenges | Some RaaS groups centralize ransom payments and decryption, while others leave it to affiliates. Victims may not know who they are negotiating with or if they will even receive a working decryption key. |
| Fast-Changing Tactics | RaaS groups frequently update their malware to evade detection, which makes traditional defensive measures less effective. |
| Higher Volume of Attacks | RaaS platforms let many affiliates launch attacks simultaneously, which increases your chances of being targeted and of your cybersecurity systems being overwhelmed. |
| Wider Distribution | RaaS tools spread through multiple methods, including phishing emails, software vulnerabilities, and malicious links. This broad approach increases the chances of infection compared to one-off ransomware that usually targets a single system in a specific way. |
Divide your network into secure segments based on function, department, or risk level. This strategy limits how far RaaS malware can spread if an attacker compromises one device. Use firewalls, VLANs, and access controls between segments to block unauthorized movement between systems.
Keep all operating systems, applications, and firmware fully up to date. Many RaaS campaigns exploit unpatched vulnerabilities in common software, yet only 36% of users update their software when needed. Create a routine patching schedule and use automation tools where possible to prevent delays.
Limit access to files, systems, and applications based on job roles. RaaS attacks often spread laterally once inside a network, but strong access controls reduce how far they can go. Define and enforce strict permissions so attackers have fewer opportunities to escalate privileges or access sensitive data.
Install EDR tools that detect unusual behavior rather than just known malware signatures. RaaS affiliates frequently customize payloads or use new variants that traditional antivirus tools may miss. Behavioral monitoring helps detect ransomware actions in real time.
Secure all remote access points, especially VPNs and cloud services, and require multi-factor authentication (MFA) for every login. RaaS attackers frequently buy or steal credentials to gain access without triggering alerts. However, MFA is proven to block 99% of these attempts.
Review the security practices of any third-party tools, services, or partners that connect to your systems. RaaS campaigns sometimes target vendors with weaker defenses and use those connections to reach their real target. Require vendors to follow strict security standards and monitor integrations closely.
| Learn More About How You Can Protect Your Technology |
Establish systems to detect suspicious activities such as unauthorized logins, privilege escalations, or unusual data transfers. RaaS affiliates often probe systems or test tools before launching the final payload. Early detection gives your team a chance to block the attack before encryption begins.
Threat actors associated with RaaS organizations will often directly target their victims’ data backups. Therefore, simply backing up your data regularly isn’t enough. Firstly, if you’re like 75% of organizations who have no disaster recovery plan, make one, and make sure it accounts for complex attacks.
While RaaS attacks may directly target backups, you can make your data backups harder to infiltrate using the 3-2-1 strategy. That strategy is as follows.
The 3-2-1 backup strategy is particularly useful against RaaS because it reduces the chance that attackers can encrypt or delete all your data copies. By keeping one backup copy offline or offsite, you create a version that ransomware can’t reach, even if attackers gain full access to your internal systems.
Educate your staff to recognize phishing emails, suspicious links, and unusual requests. RaaS affiliates often rely on social engineering to deploy malware, and a single mistake can trigger a network-wide infection. Regular simulations and short, focused training sessions help users stay alert and reduce the likelihood of successful entry attempts.
| Find Leading Cybersecurity Experts Near You | ||
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RaaS groups continue to evolve faster than many organizations can adapt, and no single defense tactic is enough on its own. To stay protected, businesses must build a layered cybersecurity strategy.
You can count on Complete Network to help you build that strategy. We help reduce the risks tied to RaaS by managing the core areas threat actors target. Our team also works with your leadership to build response plans and review your backup and segmentation strategies.
Reach out today to get protected.
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