This opportunistic expansion coincides with a historic surge in global ransomware activity, with Check Point’s State of Ransomware Q1 2025 report documenting 2,289 publicly named ransomware victims in just the first quarter – representing a staggering 126% year-over-year increase. Check Point researchers have identified DragonForce’s strategic pivot following the April 2025 disappearance of RansomHub, when the group moved swiftly to absorb displaced affiliates by marketing itself as an agile alternative to collapsed legacy operators. This architecture exemplifies how DragonForce isn’t merely a ransomware operation but a comprehensive criminal platform that combines marketing strategy, business model, and technical ecosystem. As Check Point analysts note, its success lies not in technical sophistication alone, but in creating an accessible framework for cybercrime that offers affiliates anonymity, flexibility, and profit in a landscape where trust in traditional RaaS brands continues to erode. In the rapidly evolving cybersecurity landscape of 2025, DragonForce has emerged as a formidable ransomware threat, redefining the hybrid extortion model. Their infrastructure includes white-label ransomware kits allowing affiliates to create unique ransomware brands, compile custom binaries, and personalize ransom notes and file extensions. The group has developed a business model specifically tailored to attract displaced or freelance affiliates, offering a competitive 20% revenue share – lower than most ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operations. First appearing in December 2023 with the launch of its “DragonLeaks” dark web portal, DragonForce has quickly established itself as more than just another ransomware group. Cyber Security News is a Dedicated News Platform For Cyber News, Cyber Attack News, Hacking News & Vulnerability Analysis. With years of experience under his belt in Cyber Security, he is covering Cyber Security News, technology and other news. DragonForce’s technical infrastructure represents a significant evolution in ransomware deployment methodology. What distinguishes this threat actor is its evolution from possible hacktivist roots into a fully commercialized criminal enterprise that combines ideological flexibility with technological agility.
This Cyber News was published on cybersecuritynews.com. Publication date: Wed, 07 May 2025 15:05:02 +0000