Encrypted communications have boomed in popularity in the aftermath of the Snowden leaks in 2013, which has ironically opened up a new pathway for cybercriminals. Since those fateful revelations years ago, the world has witnessed a sharp increase in encrypted web traffic—reaching half of all global traffic at the beginning of this year and zooming past more than 65 percent this past May, according to published browser statistics from Chrome and Firefox.
While web site operators of all stripes have shifted to SSL encryption, malware authors have also followed suit. Every major ransomware family since 2015 has been distributed at some point via HTTPS, including Petya, Locky and Jigsaw.
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