On March 24 , 2017 , a member of a top-tier Russian cyber criminal forum posted an advertisement for “ Fatboy , ” a new ransomware-as-a-service ( RaaS ) product . The advertiser , operating under the username “ polnowz , ” describes Fatboy as a partnership , offering support and guidance through Jabber . While the RaaS has not yet received any endorsements or feedback from the hacking community , on March 26 , “ ilcn , ” a reputable member of the forum , offered to assist polnowz with translation in the product . The Fatboy ransomware is dynamic in the way it targets its victims ; the amount of ransom demanded Attack.Ransom is determined by the victim ’ s location . According to polnowz , Fatboy uses a payment scheme based on The Economist ’ s Big Mac Index ( cited as the “ McDonald ’ s Index ” in the product description ) , meaning that victims in areas with a higher cost of living will be charged more to have their data decrypted . Purchasers of the Fatboy RaaS partner directly with the author of the malware and not through a third-party vendor . Potential partners also receive payment Attack.Ransom instantly when a victim pays their ransom Attack.Ransom , adding another level of transparency to this partnership . Since February 7 , 2017 , the author of the Fatboy RaaS has purportedly earned at least $ 5,321 USD from their own ransomware campaigns Attack.Ransom using this product . A computer infected with the Fatboy malware will display the above message , explaining that the user ’ s files have been encrypted , stating the ransom Attack.Ransom amount , and warning the user against interfering with the ransomware . The level of transparency in the Fatboy RaaS partnership may be a strategy to quickly gain the trust of potential buyers . Additionally , the automatic price adjustment feature shows an interest in customizing malware based on the targeted victim . Organizations should be aware of the adaptability of Fatboy , as well as other ransomware products , and continuously update their cyber security strategies as these threats evolve .