What is RaaS?
RaaS stands for “Ransomware as a Service.” It is a business model where cybercriminals develop ransomware tools and platforms and then distribute them to affiliates or partners to deploy against victims. The RaaS model provides easy access to ransomware for less technical cybercriminals.
With RaaS, the ransomware creator manages the infrastructure and development of the ransomware tools, while the affiliates or partners handle distribution and extortion of victims. The creator takes a cut of any ransom payments made. This model makes it easy for large numbers of less skilled threat actors to get involved in deploying ransomware.
Some key aspects of RaaS include:
- The creator develops sophisticated ransomware tools, malware libraries, frameworks, and management portals.
- Affiliates rent or purchase access to these tools and handle deployment against targets.
- Creators manage ransom negotiations and payments and take a cut of any proceeds.
- Many provide 24/7 customer support to assist affiliates.
- Some offer services like money laundering to affiliates.
The RaaS model makes it easy for large numbers of affiliates to get involved in ransomware distribution without needing advanced technical skills. It has fueled the ransomware crisis by enabling wider deployment of ransomware tools. Major ransomware variants like REvil operate on a RaaS model.
Popular RaaS Providers
Some of the top companies offering RaaS solutions include:
- REvil – One of the first and largest RaaS operations, responsible for high-profile attacks against JBS Foods and Kaseya. REvil offers various tiers of service for affiliates to deploy ransomware and handles ransom negotiations. They disappeared for a while but resurfaced in late 2022 according to Fortinet.
- LockBit – Another major RaaS provider known for innovating on the ransomware affiliate model. LockBit offers easy-to-use infrastructure for affiliates and takes a percentage of all ransom payments.
- Conti – A Russia-linked ransomware group that provides RaaS to profit off ransom payments. They have deployed ransomware against high profile organizations like Costa Rica’s government.
Many well-known cybercriminal groups like DarkSide have embraced the RaaS model. The RaaS black market continues to grow and evolve, presenting an ongoing threat.
How RaaS Differs from Traditional Antivirus
Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) differs significantly from traditional antivirus software in a few key ways:
Traditional antivirus relies on signature-based detection to identify known threats. This means it can only detect ransomware strains it has already encountered. RaaS uses advanced techniques like behavioral analysis and machine learning to identify zero-day threats that traditional antivirus would miss.
RaaS is cloud-based, so threat intelligence is continuously updated from endpoints across an organization’s network. Traditional antivirus depends on intermittent signature database updates which can leave endpoints exposed.
RaaS takes a multilayered approach to security, combining capabilities like endpoint detection and response, email security, firewalls, and more. Traditional antivirus focuses narrowly on malware detection at the endpoint level.
A major downside of traditional antivirus is the high rate of false positives that disrupt normal business operations. RaaS leverages threat intelligence to minimize false positives.
RaaS platforms provide centralized visibility and control across all endpoints. Traditional antivirus cannot provide holistic security monitoring and management across a networked environment.
Overall, RaaS delivers stronger, proactive protection capabilities compared to traditional antivirus’ reactive signature-based model. RaaS combines advanced malware prevention, detection, response and remediation in one scalable platform.
RaaS Pricing Models
RaaS providers typically use one of a few common pricing models:
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Per robot pricing – Customers pay a monthly fee per robot, ranging from $200-$500 per robot depending on features.
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Tiered pricing – Providers offer different tiers of service at different price points. The basic tier may be around $2,500 per month for up to 5 robots, while higher tiers with more robots and features cost more.
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Per hour pricing – Customers pay an hourly rate per robot connected, often between $3 to $7 per hour. This allows flexible scaling up and down.
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Per user pricing – Some RaaS platforms charge per user per month, ranging from $5 to $20 per user depending on capabilities.
The pricing model that works best depends on the customer’s specific needs. Per robot or per hour pricing allow scaling robot usage up and down as needed. Tiered pricing fits if a customer knows they need a certain level of capabilities. Per user pricing works for customers that want to provide RaaS access to many employees.
Top RaaS Features to Look For
When evaluating RaaS solutions, there are several key features to look for that set leading providers apart:
Threat Detection – The ability to quickly detect potential threats and attacks is critical. Look for anomaly detection, behavior analysis, and other advanced threat detection capabilities.
Automated Remediation – Upon detecting a threat, the RaaS should be able to take immediate action to isolate, stop and remediate the attack. This is far more efficient than relying solely on human analysts.
24/7 Monitoring – RaaS solutions should provide continuous monitoring of the environment across endpoints, networks, cloud applications and more. This enables real-time threat visibility.
Incident Response – Quality RaaS offerings have security experts on staff to aid in investigating and responding to complex incidents when they occur. This provides expertise and support.
Reporting – Robust reporting allows admins to track detected threats, security trends and get insights into the overall risk posture. This helps identify vulnerabilities and improve defenses.
These core features allow RaaS to serve as an extension of internal security teams, filling gaps and enhancing threat detection and response capabilities across the attack surface.
Integrations and APIs
RaaS solutions offer integration capabilities through REST APIs to connect with other business applications. For example, Workday RaaS provides an API to retrieve audit event and target details as documented here. The Workday RaaS API enables integration with SIEM, analytics, and GRC platforms to streamline risk monitoring and auditing workflows.
Many top RaaS providers have open REST APIs and webhooks to build custom integrations. These APIs provide access to audit logs, alerts, assessments, and other security data. Popular integrations include SIEM, SOAR, ITSM, and business intelligence tools. Investing in a RaaS solution with robust API capabilities ensures flexibility to connect security data across your tech stack.
When evaluating RaaS, consider which integrations are essential to your use cases. Prioritize solutions that offer APIs tailored to your most important connections, like SIEM and workflow tools. With open APIs, you can build custom integrations even if pre-built connectors don’t exist yet. The right RaaS platform will have APIs capable of powering the integrations you need now and in the future.
Implementation and Deployment
RaaS solutions involve setting up remote servers to provide malware protection for endpoints across an organization’s network. RaaS providers take care of deploying, managing, and updating these servers in their own cloud infrastructure or data centers. This alleviates the burden for companies from having to set up and maintain on-premises antivirus servers themselves.
A typical RaaS deployment uses an Internet Protocol Security Virtual Private Network (IPSec VPN) so that the RaaS instances can become an extension of the client’s network. This allows seamless traffic inspection of all endpoints regardless of location. The RaaS provider handles setting up the VPN tunnel and making the connections to the client’s network https://rhapsody.health/blog/the-basic-architecture-of-rhapsody-as-a-service/.
For deployment, endpoints simply need the RaaS client installed, which can often be pushed out and managed centrally via tools like Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager. The client connects back to the RaaS servers through the VPN tunnel. No on-premises infrastructure needs to be deployed by the client.
Overall, RaaS removes the complexities of deploying and managing malware protection servers. The RaaS provider handles the setup, configuration, maintenance, and updates behind the scenes. Companies only need to install lightweight clients on endpoints to tap into the remotely hosted security services.
Customer Support
RaaS offers 24/7 customer support via email and phone. You can submit a support request through their website and expect a response within 24 hours according to this FAQ. For urgent issues, you can contact their support team by email at [email protected] or by calling their toll-free number at (855) 661-3706 as noted on their contact page. RaaS also provides onboarding, training, and dedicated account management to partners.
With round-the-clock availability and quick response times, RaaS aims to provide effective support channels for customers. Their self-service knowledge base and ability to log tickets online makes it easy to get help when needed.
Best RaaS Solutions for Small Businesses
For small businesses looking to implement robotic automation without making a huge upfront capital investment, RaaS can be an excellent solution. Here are some of the top affordable RaaS options for SMBs:
Locus Robotics offers a subscription-based model for their autonomous mobile robots focused on warehouse and fulfillment center applications. They have flexible pricing scaled for companies of different sizes, starting with just a few robots. Locus handles the deployment, maintenance, and updates of the robots over the subscription term (source).
Fetch Robotics provides on-demand automation for material handling and data collection with their collaborative robots. They have low upfront costs and customizable subscription plans to meet the needs of small and mid-sized operations. Fetch handles deployment, monitoring, and ongoing robot management (source).
inVia Robotics offers robotics-as-a-service focused on warehouse automation, with pricing options starting at just a few robots. They emphasize fast deployment and flexibility, with the ability to increase robots as business needs scale. inVia’s subscription model includes robot hardware, software, maintenance, and continuous updates (source).
The Future of RaaS
The global RaaS market is expected to grow significantly in the coming years. According to reports, the market is projected to reach $32 billion by 2028, exhibiting a CAGR of 39% from 2022 to 2028 (Source). Major factors fueling this growth include the adoption of advanced technologies like AI, cloud computing, 5G, and the increasing need for automation across various industries.
North America is anticipated to dominate the RaaS market share through 2028. The high adoption of automation and robotics across manufacturing, healthcare, retail, and other sectors in the U.S. and Canada will drive the regional growth (Source). Europe is also projected to observe notable growth as many key players introduce new RaaS solutions in the region.
By offering, the software segment is expected to register the highest CAGR of around 41% from 2022 to 2028 (Source). This growth can be attributed to the increasing need for specialized software to operate complex RaaS applications and robotics systems. The services and robotics system segments will also observe steady growth during the forecast period.
Overall, the future looks very promising for the global RaaS industry. The technology is poised to revolutionize operations across many sectors by providing flexible, scalable automation on-demand. As RaaS solutions become more advanced and affordable, adoption rates will likely accelerate around the world.