Ransomware Detection via File Checksum Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ransomware attacks are difficult to detect, especially in varieties like full disk encryptors, which can encrypt entire disk volumes before the host operating system loads, leading to delayed detection and potential loss of files, as existing antivirus solutions often fail to detect these threats in time.
Innovation Solution
A ransomware protection application that generates an alert when a checksum mismatch is detected between a file and its copy, stored in a temporary safe place, allowing for early detection of file manipulation, including encryption by ransomware, through checksum verification and bit-level comparison, and providing options for remediation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If checksum verification is implemented to detect file manipulation, then detection accuracy is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system generates and stores checksums of files in advance before ransomware can encrypt them. When a file is accessed, the pre-computed checksum is retrieved and compared against the current file state, enabling rapid detection without performing complex verification calculations in real-time during the encryption process.
2Reliability
If file copies are stored in a safe place for verification, then reliability is improved, but storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates and stores copies of original files in a secure location before ransomware encryption occurs. These copies serve as reference points for checksum verification, allowing the system to detect encryption by comparing current file states against the stored unencrypted versions.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of storing complete file copies, the system transforms files into checksum values (hashes), which are significantly smaller in size but retain the essential property of uniquely representing the original file content. This parameter transformation maintains detection reliability while dramatically reducing storage requirements.
3Loss of substance
If ransomware detection is performed early in the encryption process, then data loss is reduced, but detection complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors file access patterns and checksum changes, creating a feedback loop that detects ransomware activity as it occurs. When a checksum mismatch is detected, the system can trigger alerts and initiate recovery procedures, providing real-time feedback that enables early intervention before extensive data loss occurs.
Data Source
AI summary
A processing system including at least one processor may detect an accessing of a file, where the accessing comprises a read operation, generate a copy of the file in response to detecting the accessing of the file, and store the copy of the file in a designated storage location. The processing system may further detect a completion of the accessing of the file, apply a checksum operation to the file to generate a checksum in response to detecting the completion of the accessing of the file, determine that the checksum does not match an expected checksum for the file, and generate an alert of a possible manipulation of the file in response to determining that the checksum does not match the expected checksum.