Repeated Attacks – Exploiting Unpatched Weaknesses
It started with the victim being breached for the first time. Cybercriminals will then return to the victims they’ve exploited, looking for the same vulnerabilities. If security gaps remain unpatched, attackers reuse their original methods—or slightly modify them—to launch follow-up attacks, causing further financial and operational damage.
Re-Use of Stolen Data – Selling and Spreading the Breach
Once the data is stolen, they will sell, trade, and share it on dark web marketplaces. Other attackers then leverage this information for phishing scams, identity theft, and new extortion attempts, keeping the victim trapped in an ongoing cycle of breaches.
Affiliate Crossover – Ransomware Gangs Pass the Target
Once it’s out in the open, different affiliates, particularly Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) groups, exchange attack methods and victim data, allowing new ransomware groups to re-target past victims. Even if an organisation improves its defences, customised tactics help cybercriminals bypass them, leading to another wave of attacks.