Cybercrime as a Service (CaaS)

The $9.5 trillion cybercrime economy owes much to Cybercrime-as-a-Service (CaaS), a model democratizing digital mayhem. Like legit software subscriptions, CaaS offers malware, phishing kits, and hacking expertise for hire, pushing cybercrime costs to $10.5 trillion in 2025, per Cybersecurity Ventures.

Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) leads the pack. IBM’s 2023 report notes 67 active RaaS groups in 2022’s first half, with 72.7% of firms hit in 2023 (Astra). REvil, busted in 2021, netted $100 million yearly, per Security Intelligence. Dark web forums, per Europol’s 2023 IOCTA, hawk “triple extortion” packages—data leaks, encryption, and DDoS—for novices. Phishing kits, used in 62% of attacks (IBM), cost as little as $50, per Comparitech.

This accessibility explodes the threat landscape. Small businesses, 43% of targets (Astra), suffer as non-techies buy in. The 2023 MOVEit breach, tied to CL0P’s RaaS, cost billions globally. Cryptocurrency fuels it—$449.1 million in ransomware payments in 2023’s first half (Reuters)—masking culprits. Verizon’s 2024 report ties 20% of breaches to stolen credentials, often CaaS-sourced.

Countermeasures lag. Interpol boosts global ops, but CaaS’s low entry bar and anonymity thwart progress. Firms need endpoint security, training, and dark web monitoring to fight this $9.5 trillion service industry.

References

Cybersecurity Ventures. (2025). Cybercrime to Cost $10.5 Trillion by 2025.

IBM. (2023). Cost of a Data Breach Report.

Europol. (2023). IOCTA 2023.

Reuters. (2023). Ransomware Payments Hit $449.1M in H1 2023.

Astra. (2025). 90+ Cyber Crime Stats 2025.