Ransomware Key Material Capture via Entropy Source Hooking

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Solution Overview

Problem

Ransomware attacks encrypt files using asymmetric and symmetric keys, making decryption without the private asymmetric key impossible, and existing methods require computationally expensive signatures or fingerprints.

Innovation Solution

Capture entropy-derived key material from monitored computing devices by hooking into entropy sources, reconstructing ransomware encryption keys, and decrypting files using a telemetry component with a suspiciousness level scoring mechanism and a file-gathering component to optimize performance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If traditional decryption methods using private asymmetric keys are used, then decryption is possible, but the process requires computationally expensive signatures or fingerprints

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedecryption efficiencyVSAvoidcomputational overhead

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the necessary key material (entropy-derived values) from the ransomware process memory, rather than requiring complete key reconstruction or verification through expensive signature/fingerprint computations. This selective extraction of critical decryption elements reduces computational overhead while maintaining decryption capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary capture of entropy-derived key material from the ransomware process during its execution, before the process completes and destroys the symmetric key. This preliminary action stores the necessary decryption information in advance, eliminating the need for computationally expensive post-encryption analysis or signature verification

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If key material capture is performed for all processes, then complete coverage is achieved, but system resources are consumed unnecessarily

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedetection coverageVSAvoidsystem resource consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies suspiciousness level scoring to selectively monitor only those processes that exhibit characteristics consistent with ransomware behavior. Rather than uniformly monitoring all processes, the system concentrates resources on high-risk targets based on their suspiciousness scores, achieving reliable detection coverage while minimizing unnecessary resource consumption

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts the suspiciousness threshold parameter to balance between detection coverage and resource consumption. By changing this parameter, the system can adapt to different operational requirements, increasing coverage when resources are abundant or reducing monitoring intensity when resources are constrained

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS12519609B1Signatureless key material capture

Publication Date: 2026.01.06 HALCYON TECH

AI summary

Techniques for countering ransomware are provided in which key material can be captured, for example, by a telemetry component. The key material is created or otherwise used by a process executing on a monitored computing device and characterizes entropy used by ransomware to generate a ransomware encryption key. This captured key material is used to reconstruct the ransomware encryption key. This key, in turn, is used to decrypt ransomware-encrypted files.