Ransomware gives free decryption keys to victims who infect their friends
Next step (unless it is already there) could be affiliate marketing (pay 25% of the ransom to people who distribute the malware). If people start getting smart with backups, the response could be to switch blackmailing (pay or we'll distribute your files).<p>I find this whole thing quite scary. We all know how difficult it is to protect yourself from a determined and skilled adversary. Now that there is clear business model and opportunity to make hundreds of millions[1] this thing will probably attract more and more people. Building botnets was a mass market operation. Ransomware could become more targeted, since the value of single infected machine can be much higher.<p>[1] <a href="http://thehackernews.com/2015/10/cryptowall-ransomware.html" rel="nofollow">http://thehackernews.com/2015/10/cryptowall-ransomware.html</a>