Cybercrime isn’t chaotic. It’s structured, monetized, and remarkably efficient. According to Positive Technologies, the dark web now resembles a functioning B2B marketplace where ransomware, zero-days, and unauthorized access are bought and sold like SaaS tools.

Ransomware remains the most expensive and lucrative tool on the market. The median price for a ransomware strain is $7,500, while some go as high as $320,000. Yet even low-tier attackers using off-the-shelf kits can expect a net profit between $100,000 and $130,000 per successful hit. That’s a 5x return, driven by cheap access to crypters, loaders, and stolen infrastructure.

Phishing-based ransomware attacks cost newcomers about $20,000 to execute. Costs include server rentals, VPNs, malware subscriptions, and obfuscation tools. Zero-days, the rarest commodities, are auctioned for millions. Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) models make high-level operations accessible even to entry-level criminals. Affiliates typically receive 70–90% of the ransom, minus escrow and reputation costs.

Access to corporate networks is disturbingly cheap: over 60% of listings are under $1,000. Full-service hacks start at $100 for personal email accounts and $200 for corporate ones. Meanwhile, sellers and platform admins profit through escrow services, taking a 4% cut on each transaction.

The economic damage far outweighs the ransom. In 2024, CDK Global paid a $25 million ransom, but dealer losses from downtime hit $600 million. The real threat isn’t just the ransom it’s business paralysis.

This isn’t a disorganized crime. It mirrors modern capitalism—anonymous, transactional, and designed for profit.

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