Now, any malicious actor can purchase a builder and develop their own ransomware strains, after cybersecurity researchers disclosed details of the latest version of the Chaos ransomware line, dubbed Yashma. This proves the ongoing cyber arms race.

Bill Conner made the following comment:

“We are dealing with an escalating arms race. At the same time, threat actors have gotten better and more efficient in their attacks. They are now leveraging readily available cloud tools to reduce costs and expand their scope in targeting additional attack vectors. The good news is, that the cybersecurity industry has gotten more sophisticated in identifying and stopping new ransomware strains and protecting organizations. There’s better cooperation between the public and private sectors, and greater transparency in many areas. New threat detection and remediation tools have emerged and there’s a greater public awareness of how prolific cyber attacks are. It’s a cyber-arms race that will likely never slow, so we can never slow in our efforts to protect organizations. Although our industry is faster, smarter, and more responsive than ever, the continued challenges to keep pace with changing tactics and behavior of increasingly sophisticated bad actors, we need to continue building a unified front for the next phase of this conflict.”