The hypothetical rise of a ransomware bandit
Tyrone Erasmus’s fictional account illustrates how, for someone with the right skills, cybercrime offers a quick buck in tough times
Mid 2016: the FBI revealed that cybercriminals had extorted $209m from organisations in the first three months of the year with an estimated annual total of around $1bn. Later it emerged that the impact of ransomware went even deeper as many incidents remained unreported to authorities — as it hit uptime and productivity, the financial effect of ransomware was more in the region of $75bn. For our fictional antihero, Alex, these figures look very good in his bank account, especially since his aptitude with computers and code has lifted him from a poor rural lifestyle into one where money is no longer an object. Alex began life in a small rural village. To access a computer, he’d have to first walk some way to the local library, where he spent time teaching himself to code. It wasn’t long before he became the resident expert. He used tutorials on the internet to learn different coding languages and expand his knowledge. As a teenager, fixing computers in his neighbourhood and village ...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.