Comparative Analysis of Distinctive Features of the Ransomware Tactics in Relation to Other Malware

Ransomware have become a real threat to the use of technology. Unlike other forms of malware that could target systems by deleting or editing some files and creating backdoor for the attacker to access the system, ransomware have gone a notch higher by targeting humans. This is achieved when a ransomware encrypts data of the infected computer and a note demanding for a ransom to be paid is printed on the screen. Due to the advancement in technology, ransomware use advanced and secure encryption algorithm that is difficult to decrypt even when the computational power is not limited. In this work, we present some of the major behavioral characteristics that we found to be common with ransomware and not with other malware. Our results show that a careful analysis of suspicious network and file activities can help detect a ransomware attack. Further, careful analysis of ransomware behavior can help develop a system that can detect an impeding ransomware attack and thereby eliminate it