Breaking Every Step in the Ransomware Kill Chain
Ransomware is malware designed to make your data unavailable until a ransom is paid to unlock the data. It consists of a specific sequence of events called a “Kill Chain,” whereby it infects, encrypts, and spreads. However, security point products alone cannot effectively impact or stop the Ransomware Kill Chain. The gaps between the point product spheres of influence make it easy for ransomware to breach and infect successfully. Organizations have been lulled into a false sense of security with network firewalls, email gateways, and anti-virus/anti-malware solutions, but WannaCry proved them wrong by infecting 200,000 systems across 150 countries in only 4 days. A more holistic anti-ransomware solution is needed to completely break the cycle. The Sangfor Security Solution for Ransomware provides an innovative strategy that successfully mitigates ransomware attacks by breaking every step in the Kill Chain.
Stage 1: Detect & Block Malware and Ransomware Infection
Sangfor Engine Zero is a new approach to malware identification and blocking. It uses a multi-stage AI analysis engine with a 99.65% detection rate. Engine Zero is built into Sangfor NGAF - The Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) with Endpoint Security to identify malicious files at both the network level and endpoints. Anything that the on-premise capabilities cannot analyze is automatically sent to the cloud-based Neural-X sandbox.
Stage 2: Detect & Block C&C Communications
Next generation anti-virus (NGAV) and anti-malware cannot identify direct malware command & control (C&C) communications. Firewalls can track communications to potential C&C servers, but they cannot verify if the communications are valid or malicious. Sangfor NGAF with Endpoint Secure not only validates malicious C&C communications but can query the endpoints to conduct a self-scan to search for infections, making it an effective anti-ransomware tool. If an infection is found, NGAF will terminate all communications outbound to C&C servers.
Stage 3: Detect & Block Exploitation
Endpoint Secure is a potent ransomware prevention solution as it installs advanced ransomware honeypot technology to quickly identify and kill file encryption processes before major damage is done. The ransomware honeypot installs bait files in the directories most likely to be encrypted first. Once a bait file is touched by an encryption process, Endpoint Secure can immediately kill the encryption process and identify the (normally hidden) controlling file. A hash signature is created for the controlling file and is sent to NGAF to query all other endpoints for the malware file. If found, the administrator can delete all instances of the file across the network with a single click.
Stage 4: Detect & Block Propagation
Without an anti-ransomware solution, malware will spread to other vulnerable systems quickly, sometimes within only a few minutes. NGAF with Endpoint Secure can quickly isolate infected systems from the network to prevent this from happening. In some cases, the infected system may need to be operational for business requirements and cannot be isolated. Sangfor’s NGAF can identify unusual or unauthorized connections passing between endpoints across network segments. Those connections can be terminated to prevent the spread of malware across the network segments. And Sangfor NGAF is the only firewall that can graphically display allowed, suspicious, and malicious connections in real-time, enhancing its stature as a leading cyber security solution in the fight against malware and ransomware.
