Ransomware operators are now frequently operating with a one-two punch: through the so-called trend of "big game hunting", once they have infiltrated a network, they move laterally through it with the aim of gaining as many access points as possible, maximizing the percentage of the environment under their control. After having operationally impacted a large percentage of server-side infrastructure, that's when they deploy the ransomware message. 

As if that were not enough of a disaster, once an attacker is lurking on a network, they may also search through files and extract sensitive, corporate data — including customer or client information and intellectual property — then threaten their victims with its sale or a public leak.

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