Breaking Down Ransomware-as-a-Service

## Executive Summary This report explains Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS), outlining how operators, affiliates, and initial access brokers collaborate to scale ransomware attacks, common pricing models, and extortion techniques (double/triple extortion); it profiles major groups (Akira, LockBit), cites prevalence and financial impacts (average ransom ~$600,000; notable $75M payout), and recommends defenses such as reliable backups, cloud security hygiene, identity and access controls (MFA), risk-based vulnerability management, and continuous monitoring and response.