Ransomware Detection

1. Signature-Based Detection:
This method involves identifying malware by comparing its signatures, such as file hashes, domain names, IP addresses of command and control infrastructure, and other unique indicators. Signature-based detection systems maintain a library of these signatures and compare them to incoming or running files to determine if they are malware. However, this method is becoming less effective as ransomware groups frequently create new variants that evade signature-based detection.

2. Behavior-Based Detection:
Behavioral detection algorithms can be used to identify ransomware by looking for specific malicious activities or anomalous behavior. Ransomware exhibits unusual behavior during its encryption stage, where it opens, reads, and overwrites multiple files with encrypted versions. Monitoring file operations or encryption activities can help detect this unusual behavior and alert anti-ransomware solutions.

3. Detection of Abnormal Traffic:
Ransomware can also be detected at the network level by monitoring for abnormal traffic patterns. Modern ransomware often steals and exfiltrates sensitive data before encrypting it, requiring large-scale data transfers from the network to external systems controlled by the attacker. While ransomware may attempt to conceal these transfers, they can still generate anomalous network traffic that can be traced back to the presence of ransomware on the system.