The ransomware may also exploit system and network vulnerabilities to spread to other systems and possibly across entire organizations. This binary then searches and encrypts valuable files, such as Microsoft Word documents, images, databases, and so on. After presence is established, malware stays on the system until its task is accomplished.Īfter a successful exploit, ransomware drops and executes a malicious binary on the infected system.

Malware needs an attack vector to establish its presence on an endpoint. Often ransomware (and other malware) is distributed using email spam campaigns or through targeted attacks. Without access to the private key, it is nearly impossible to decrypt the files that are being held for ransom. The attacker makes the private key available to the victim only after the ransom is paid, though as seen in recent ransomware campaigns, that is not always the case. The public-private pair of keys is uniquely generated by the attacker for the victim, with the private key to decrypt the files stored on the attacker’s server.

This is cryptography that uses a pair of keys to encrypt and decrypt a file.

Crypto locker file variants monitor