Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 72 | Page 45

CIO OPINION
Emergence of RaaS
What is RaaS and what does that mean ? Ransomware- As-a-Service ( RaaS ) means that you can simply purchase a service online , on the Dark Web and you can then take whoever you want hostage at will . So , if you want to get rich quickly , all you need is a connection to the dark web , a credit card or other way to pay , and reprehensible morals .
Unfortunately , the success of these types of constructions says more about the state of cybersecurity than about the criminals themselves . Unlike really advanced cyberthreats , these types of RaaS services are very easy to recognise . Their IP addresses are known . Any decent secure Domain Name System ( DNS ) should automatically block RaaS – but this is not happening . And that ’ s symptomatic of how far too many small and large companies still manage their security . Patches are not installed . Updates are not run . Passwords are not changed . Settings are not checked . And freely accessible information about all kinds of large and small threats is systematically ignored .
Importance of DNS
DNS is an essential part of any network . The server translates domain names into IP addresses and in this way ensures that network traffic ends up in the right place .
Because it is such a critical part of network functionality , DNS traffic has traditionally been unencrypted , widely trusted by the systems that make networks work . Unfortunately , this also makes it an
If you want to get rich quickly , all you need is a connection to the dark web , a credit card or other way to pay , and reprehensible morals .
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