Ransomware 2025: Why Attackers Start Earlier Than Ever

Ransomware is a Professional Business Model

What was once the domain of individual hackers is today a highly professionalized business model. Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) has democratized the scene: technically unsophisticated criminals rent encryption tools and infrastructure from specialized developer groups, execute attacks, and share extortion proceeds. Groups like LockBit, BlackCat/ALPHV, or Cl0p operate with the same level of professionalism as regular software companies – including support helpdesk and quality assurance.

This professionalization has also changed attack patterns. Ransomware groups have realized that rushed attacks yield lower ransom amounts. Instead, they now invest weeks or months in preparation: network reconnaissance, privilege escalation, data exfiltration before encryption, and the deliberate placement of backdoors for later re-entry.

Indicators That Signal an Imminent Attack

The good news: this extended preparation phase leaves traces – if you know where to look. The most important early warning indicators include:

Initial Access Broker Activity: Compromised accesses to corporate networks are regularly sold in darknet forums and marketplaces. Initial Access Brokers (IABs) specialize in exactly that: they break into networks and sell the access – often to ransomware groups. When access to your infrastructure is being traded on the darknet, the clock has started.

Command-and-Control Server Setup: Before an attack begins, attackers must build their infrastructure: C2 servers (Command and Control) through which they can control compromised systems. This infrastructure is often active days to weeks before the actual attack – and can be identified via threat intelligence data.

Leaked Credentials from Your Company: Compromised employee credentials are often the first step of a ransomware attack. Whether through phishing, infostealer malware, or data breaches at third-party providers – when your employees' credentials appear on the darknet, immediate action is required.

What >80% Early Detection Means

Our experience shows that more than 80% of all targeted ransomware attacks at enterprise level exhibit recognizable preparatory activities that can be identified at least one week before the actual impact. This is not a theoretical value – it is based on years of operational presence in the relevant ecosystems: darknet forums, Telegram groups, paste sites, C2 tracking networks.

Crucially, it is not mere detection that matters, but actionability: a qualified early warning contains concrete information about which systems might be affected, which attackers are active, and which immediate countermeasures are appropriate.

The Consequence for Your Security Strategy

Ransomware prevention does not begin with endpoint protection or backup concepts – although both are important. It begins outside your organization: in the ecosystems where attacks are prepared. Those who have presence there and can interpret the right signals gain the decisive time for targeted countermeasures.

Note: This article is for general information purposes. For a specific assessment of your threat situation, we recommend an individual expert consultation.