A cybercriminal gang is a group of individuals or entities involved in digital crime. Because they have better organization and access to greater resources and funding, cybercriminal gangs have been responsible for more advanced threats. Therefore, most APTs are executed by either cybercriminal gangs or nation-states.

One of the more common activities of cybercrime gangs is ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS). RaaS involves cybercriminal groups selling a subscription-based platform (like Netflix!) to arm other cyber criminals with ransomware kits. It's a cyber weapons arms race. Therefore, for a monthly fee, any inexperienced criminal can now rent the services of a professional hacker. Therefore, criminals have a low barrier to entry into this market.

Other criminal activities that cyber gangs pursue are

• Phishing attacks
• Social engineering attacks
• Identity theft
• Credential stuffing
• Jackpotting
• DDoS attacks
• Ransomware attacks
• Bluetooth sniffing
• Physical thefts

The cybercriminal ecosystem continues to rapidly evolve. For instance, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services recently sent out a warning regarding cybercriminal gangs. Moreover, these gangs were using ransomware-as-service. Consequently, they're gaining entry into systems and leaving ransom notes behind.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations confirmed that the 2021 attack on the Colonial Pipeline network was also perpetrated by a cybercrime gang. The gang locked up computer systems before demanding a ransom to regain entry. Moreover, one of the most alarming aspects is the short amount of time it takes for so much damage to occur.