Ransomware Key Snapshot Analysis for Symmetric Decryption

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Ransomware encryption renders data unusable without the decryption key, compromising business operations and data accessibility.

Innovation Solution

By taking snapshots of ransomware processes, analyzing key generation patterns, and applying hash operations to deduce encryption keys, the encrypted data can be decrypted without alerting the ransomware process.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If ransomware encryption is applied to protect data, then data confidentiality is improved, but data accessibility deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata confidentialityVSAvoiddata accessibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system takes snapshots of the ransomware process during its execution to capture encryption keys and hashing operations before the ransomware completes its encryption cycle. This preliminary capture enables later decryption without needing to communicate with the attacker

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system converts the harmful ransomware encryption process into a beneficial decryption opportunity by capturing and analyzing the ransomware's own hashing operations and key generation patterns. The malicious activity itself provides the information needed to reverse the encryption

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

2Ease of operation

If decryption keys are obtained through attacker communication, then data decryption is achieved, but loss of time and operational disruption worsen

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata decryptionVSAvoidoperational disruption

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs self-service decryption by autonomously analyzing captured ransomware snapshots, extracting hashing patterns, and deriving decryption keys without requiring any communication with the attacker. The organization decrypts its own data using internally generated keys

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

Snapshots of the ransomware process are captured in advance during execution, preserving the encryption keys and hashing operations. This preliminary capture eliminates the need for time-consuming post-encryption attacker communication

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Measurement precision

If comprehensive snapshots are taken of ransomware processes, then key deduction accuracy is improved, but storage and processing demands worsen

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvekey deduction accuracyVSAvoidstorage demands

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the essential elements from ransomware snapshots—specifically the hashing operations, key generation patterns, and encryption keys—rather than storing complete process snapshots. This extraction maintains key deduction accuracy while minimizing storage requirements

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The decryption system segments the ransomware analysis into discrete hashing operations and key generation steps, processing each segment independently. This segmentation enables precise key deduction while reducing overall processing and storage demands

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS12526152B2Reversing symmetric encryptions using keys found in snapshots—per-file keys, hashes of hashes

Publication Date: 2026.01.13 DELL PROD LP

AI summary

One example method includes taking snapshots of a ransomware process, obtaining, from the snapshots, a key sequence that comprises a subset of keys used by the ransomware process to encrypt data, hashing one of the keys of the subset of keys to generate a hash, and when the hash matches one of the keys in the subset of keys, using the hash to deduce other keys used by the ransomware process and not already included in the subset of keys.