Ransomware as a Service (RaaS) is a criminal business model: developers supply or lease ransomware tools to affiliates, who use them in attacks. The parties may share ransom proceeds, charge fees, or combine those arrangements. It divides the work among criminals; it does not impose one standard attack sequence.
How the RaaS model works
RaaS is not legitimate software-as-a-service. It describes how criminal groups organize tools, labor, and revenue. The developer may build or maintain ransomware and provide related services; affiliates or other actors carry out or arrange attacks. The division of work differs between operations.
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Developers supply capabilities
A developer may provide ransomware software and, in some operations, infrastructure, an administration interface, or support. CISA’s June 14, 2023 advisory described LockBit as an affiliate-based RaaS operation offering tools and infrastructure with a simplified interface. That is a dated example, not a feature guaranteed in every RaaS scheme. CISA’s LockBit advisory
Affiliates conduct or arrange attacks
Affiliates use the supplied capabilities to attack victims. Some may bring access they obtained separately. FinCEN’s November 8, 2021 definition describes developers delivering ransomware to individuals or groups that have separately gained illicit access to a victim network. The roles and division of labor vary. FinCEN’s advisory
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Proceeds may be shared in different ways
Payment arrangements can include a share of ransom proceeds, fees, or both. FinCEN describes profit sharing, while CISA’s LockBit advisory lists multiple possible arrangements. There is no universal fee or percentage that applies to all RaaS operations.
Why criminals use RaaS
RaaS allows criminal actors to divide technical development from intrusion work and monetization. The FBI says leasing or selling ransomware tools has reduced the technical savvy needed to conduct campaigns; FinCEN says the model lets criminals of varying skill levels monetize illicit access. The service model can broaden who participates, but it does not mean every affiliate has the same expertise or methods. FBI remarks on ransomware
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What an attack can involve
RaaS describes the criminal business arrangement, not a fixed chain of technical steps. In many incidents, attackers gain access to a victim network, steal data, and encrypt systems. Affiliates may use different tactics, and ransomware activity does not always include every element below.
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- Double extortion: Attackers steal data as well as encrypt systems, then threaten to publish or sell the stolen information.
- Data extortion without encryption: Some incidents involve threats based on stolen data even when systems are not encrypted.
CISA’s LockBit advisory notes that affiliate tactics can vary significantly; affiliates are not all connected and may use different approaches. Do not treat one group’s observed tools or behavior as a universal RaaS playbook. CISA’s LockBit advisory
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Dated examples: LockBit, Gunra, and Medusa
These cases illustrate reported RaaS activity at particular points in time. They should not be read as a ranking or as a current count of ransomware incidents overall.
LockBit: affiliate model and variable tactics
In its June 14, 2023 advisory, CISA characterized LockBit as an affiliate-based RaaS operation and described varied affiliate tactics and several possible payment arrangements. The advisory is a historical case study; its details should not be generalized to all groups or assumed to describe present-day activity. CISA’s LockBit advisory
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Gunra: affiliate program and double extortion
In a joint notice dated August 10, 2026, CISA and the FBI said Gunra emerged in April 2025 and had expanded to a formal affiliate program. The notice describes double extortion and recommends patching known exploited vulnerabilities in internet-facing systems, tested offline immutable backups stored separately, and network segmentation. These are findings about Gunra as reported in that notice, not timeless characteristics of RaaS. CISA and FBI’s Gunra notice
Medusa: a victim count tied to a specific date
A joint CISA, FBI, and HHS notice dated August 18, 2026 says Medusa was first identified in June 2021 and had impacted more than 500 victims across multiple critical infrastructure sectors as of April 2026. The agencies describe access involving brokers, phishing, and exploitation of unpatched internet-facing vulnerabilities, as well as double extortion. The figure is specific to Medusa and its stated as-of date, not a total for ransomware or RaaS. CISA, FBI, and HHS’s Medusa notice
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How organizations can reduce risk and limit impact
No single control guarantees that an organization will avoid a RaaS attack. Joint agency guidance emphasizes reducing exploitable exposure and preparing to recover if systems are affected.
- Patch promptly: Prioritize operating systems and internet-facing software according to risk, including known exploited vulnerabilities.
- Segment networks: Separate systems and restrict unnecessary remote access to limit how far an intrusion can spread.
- Keep separated, tested backups: Maintain backups offline and apart from the systems they protect, and test restoration. CISA, the FBI, and partners recommended: “Implement and test offline, immutable backups stored in a physically separate, segmented location to ensure recoverability without ransom payment” in their August 10, 2026 Gunra notice. Joint Gunra notice
- Plan for continuity and response: Establish an incident-response and business-continuity plan so staff know how to coordinate decisions and recovery.
An external hard drive or SSD can be one component of an offline backup routine, but a consumer drive by itself does not ensure immutability or resilience. Separation, retention, access controls, and successful restore tests also matter. The FBI recommends backups disconnected from protected networks. FBI ransomware guidance
What to do if ransomware affects your organization
Contact law enforcement and qualified incident responders. The FBI advises reporting incidents to a local FBI field office or the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Its guidance says payment does not guarantee recovery and states that the FBI does not support paying a ransom: “The FBI does not support paying a ransom in response to a ransomware attack.” FBI ransomware guidance
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Whether an organization pays is a serious incident-specific decision; neither paying nor refusing to pay guarantees a particular recovery outcome. Do not assume that a payment will produce a working decryptor or that refusing guarantees restoration. FBI ransomware guidance
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