Back in the early days of cybercrime, attacks were largely manual, opportunistic, and often the work of lone actors or small groups with limited resources. Fast forward to 2025, and we are now staring down a reality where cybercrime has matured into a full-blown service industry.

It is called Crime-as-a-Service (CaaS), and it has fundamentally reshaped the threat landscape.

Today, the dark web is less of a shady back alley and more of a buzzing industrial park. You will find ransomware developers offering subscription-based models. You will encounter access brokers who specialise in breaking into corporate networks and then selling that access on to others. And increasingly, you will see phishing kits enhanced by artificial intelligence that anyone can buy, customise, and launch with little to no technical skill.

It is not just the scale that has changed. It is the structure. These cybercrime ecosystems now resemble modern startups. Ransomware groups operate affiliate models where operators provide the malware, infrastructure, and sometimes even customer support portals for victims. Affiliates do the dirty work of deploying the malware, and everyone gets a cut. In short, it is franchising – just with data leaks and extortion rather than burgers and fries.

The barriers to entry have all but disappeared. Want to run a phishing campaign? You no longer need to write code or rent a server. Just purchase a phishing-as-a-service bundle from the dark web and off you go. Many of these kits now use AI to generate convincing emails in any language and even adjust messaging based on the victim’s role, industry, or recent social media activity. The emails are smart, they are personal, and they are scarily effective.

Access brokers are another major player. These actors specialise in the early stages of an attack – scanning the internet for exposed remote desktop services, weak credentials, or unpatched vulnerabilities. Once they have gained a foothold, they do not exploit it themselves. Instead, they auction off that access to the highest bidder, whether it is a ransomware affiliate, an industrial spy, or someone with a political motive.

In this model, crime is compartmentalised. Just like legitimate businesses outsource logistics, marketing, or accounting, cybercriminals now outsource infection vectors, infrastructure management, and payment laundering. The result is a highly flexible, low-risk, and scalable economy that keeps innovating.

And yes, artificial intelligence has poured petrol on the fire. AI now helps identify targets, write more persuasive phishing messages, and even analyse stolen data to figure out who is most likely to pay. On the defensive side, security teams are overwhelmed. It is no longer a case of spotting a few misspelt words or dodgy domain names. The phishing email in your inbox might be grammatically perfect, context-aware, and tailored to your last LinkedIn post.

This industrialisation of cybercrime also means attacks are more frequent, better coordinated, and harder to trace. Attribution is a nightmare. Affiliates span the globe. Infrastructure is decentralised. Payments are obfuscated through mixers and privacy coins. Investigating these groups is like chasing shadows through a hall of mirrors.

So what can businesses do? Start by recognising that the threat is no longer just some teenager in a hoodie. These are professional outfits with budgets, roadmaps, and goals. Good cyber hygiene, regular security training, and proper segmentation are still vital. But just as cybercriminals are collaborating and sharing resources, defenders need to do the same. Threat intelligence sharing and proactive simulation exercises are no longer optional – they are table stakes.