{
  "family": "ransomheur",
  "sample_count": 1,
  "category": "ransomware",
  "description": "<h3>Executive Summary</h3>\n\"RansomHeur\" (short for Ransomware Heuristic) is a highly critical, generic detection signature utilized by advanced Endpoint Protection Platforms (EPP) and EDR solutions. It does not identify a specific, named ransomware family (like LockBit or Ryuk). Instead, it indicates that the security engine has actively observed a process executing behavioral patterns that are definitively characteristic of a ransomware attack in progress.\n\n<h3>Heuristic Detection and Behavioral Context</h3>\nUnlike static signatures that look for known file hashes, a RansomHeur alert fires based on real-time behavioral analysis. A process flagged with this identifier has typically triggered a combination of the following rules:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Mass File Modification:</strong> The process is rapidly opening, encrypting, and renaming a large volume of user files (e.g., documents, images, databases) across local disks or mapped network shares in a very short timeframe.</li>\n<li><strong>Volume Shadow Copy Deletion:</strong> The process has attempted to execute administrative commands (like `vssadmin.exe Delete Shadows /All /Quiet` or WMI equivalents) to destroy local system backups and prevent easy file restoration.</li>\n<li><strong>Cryptographic API Abuse:</strong> The process is making anomalous, high-frequency calls to Windows cryptographic APIs (e.g., CryptoAPI, CNG) outside of normal application behavior.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<h3>Threat Impact and Response</h3>\nA RansomHeur alert is a \"break-glass,\" severity-critical incident. It means active data destruction is occurring on the endpoint. However, if the EDR is configured correctly, the process may have been successfully terminated mid-encryption, limiting the damage.\n\n<h3>Immediate Containment Strategy</h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Total Network Isolation:</strong> <em>Immediately</em> and physically sever the affected machine's network connection (unplug Ethernet, disable Wi-Fi) to halt the encryption of mapped network drives and lateral spread.</li>\n<li><strong>Do Not Reboot:</strong> Do not reboot the machine, as this may trigger secondary payloads, delete forensic evidence in RAM (which might contain the encryption key), or accelerate the encryption routine upon startup.</li>\n<li><strong>Determine Blast Radius:</strong> Identify exactly which files were encrypted before the process was killed. Extract the malicious binary that triggered the alert for sandbox analysis to identify the true ransomware family and locate the attacker's entry point (e.g., compromised RDP, phishing email).</li>\n</ul>",
  "cta": "Published by the SystemHelpdesk team.",
  "aliases": [
    "Generic.Ransom.Heur",
    "Heur:Trojan-Ransom",
    "Suspicious.Ransomware"
  ],
  "enrichment_level": "insufficient_information",
  "faq": [],
  "faq_count": 0,
  "mitre_attack": [
    "T1486",
    "T1490",
    "T1012"
  ],
  "cisa_advisory": null,
  "last_updated": "2026-07-01T16:46:31Z",
  "type": "Generic / Ransomware",
  "target_industries": [
    "Global / Opportunistic"
  ],
  "motivation": "Opportunistic",
  "threat_actors": [
    "Unknown / Cybercriminal"
  ],
  "target_geographies": [
    "Global"
  ]
}