In 2025, organizations worldwide face a new level of ransomware threat driven by Ransomware as a Service (RaaS) platforms enhanced by advanced Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) killers. After law enforcement disrupted established gangs like LockBit, new groups quickly filled the gap. RansomHub, launched in February 2024, attracted affiliates with a model that lets them keep 90 percent of every ransom paid. This aggressive incentive fueled rapid growth in ransomware incidents across all sectors.
By May 2024, RansomHub introduced its own EDR-killing tool, dubbed EDRKillShifter. Rather than reusing public proof-of-concept code, this custom tool exploits vulnerabilities in legitimate signed drivers to crash, blind, or terminate security software. This Bring-Your-Own-Vulnerable-Driver (BYOVD) technique grants attackers kernel-level control and evades most conventional defenses.
Between 2022 and 2024, ransomware and extortion accounted for almost two-thirds of financially motivated breaches. Victims suffered average revenue losses of 9 percent, stock declines of 2.5 percent, and long-term damage to customer trust. Manufacturing, financial services, healthcare, retail, and government have been prime targets due to their critical operations and high-value data.
Even more concerning is the collaboration among criminal groups. Analysts discovered that single actors were using multiple variants of EDRKillShifter across different ransomware brands – BianLian, RansomHub, Medusa, and Play – demonstrating that once-rival gangs now share tools and techniques. This convergence makes the ransomware threat far more resilient and difficult to disrupt.
Conclusion
As ransomware operations evolve into sophisticated, service-based enterprises with built-in EDR evasion, organizations must shift from reactive patching to proactive resilience. Robust threat detection, regular red-team exercises, and zero-trust segmentation are critical. Partnering with specialists who understand RaaS economics, EDR-killer tactics, and compliance demands will be key to staying ahead of this growing menace.
About COE Security
COE Security partners with organizations in financial services, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and government to secure AI-powered systems and ensure compliance. Our offerings include:
- AI-enhanced threat detection and real-time monitoring
- Data governance aligned with GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS
- Secure model validation to guard against adversarial attacks
- Customized training to embed AI security best practices
- Penetration Testing (Mobile, Web, AI, Product, IoT, Network & Cloud)
- Secure Software Development Consulting (SSDLC)
- Customized CyberSecurity Services
In light of emerging RaaS and EDR-killer threats, COE Security helps clients in manufacturing and financial services implement continuous endpoint monitoring, driver-integrity validation, and incident-response playbooks tailored for ransomware scenarios.