A snake isn’t just a carnivorous reptile that can harm you; it’s also a ransomware program that can hurt your system. Like the limbless serpent, the ransomware crawls into your app quietly and contaminates your data.
If your data is vaguely valuable, you could be a victim of Snake ransomware. The perpetrators are hunting for their next victim at this moment. So, what exactly can you do to keep them at arm’s length?
What Is Snake Ransomware?
Snake ransomware is a hacking technique cybercriminals use to gain unauthorized remote access to your system and encrypt your data. Your device continues to function normally even during infection, with no indication of a compromise. The intruder then proceeds to make demands in exchange for restoration.
Snake ransomware thrives on enterprise targeting, a technique that affects all aspects of a network, and uses a unique open source programming language called Golang.
How Does Snake Ransomware Work?
Snake ransomware is dreaded for its silent operation. All the technical components of your system could run as intended, but unbeknownst to you, intruders have corrupted them with malware. For the attack to be successful, the threat actor implements the following procedures.
1. Gains Remote Access
There are various ways hackers access systems without authorization. But with Snake ransomware, in particular, they leverage loopholes in a remote desktop protocol (RDP) connection, a procedure that enables various users to interact and engage with one another on a network.
Although RDP has a default network-level authentication (NLA) feature that’s supposed to make it secure, trust attackers to identify and exploit its weakness. One of their strategies is to intercept and alter communication on the target device in transitusing eavesdropping attacks.
2. Registers a Signature
Having gained access to the system, the attacker surveys it to know if it has already been infected with Snake ransomware. They do that by running a mutual exclusion object (mutex) signature called EKANS—a name derived from spelling “snake” backward.
There can only be one Snake ransomware on a system at a time. If the examination reveals that Snake is already on the system, the intruder aborts the mission. But they proceed if the coast is clear.
3. Modifies Firewall Credentials
Afirewall monitors incoming and outgoing trafficto a network to detect malicious vectors. If left unchecked, it could nullify the Snake ransomware, so the hacker changes your firewall settings to work in its favor.
External factors can affect Snake ransomware in action. To prevent this, the hacker implements a barrier that hinders any communication with the external environment. They also configure the firewall to block any traffic or communication that doesn’t align with the new settings they established.
4. Deletes Backups
A Snake ransomware attack is most successful when the victim doesn’t have copies of the seized data to fall back on. As a result of this, the threat actor looks for and deletes all data backups in your system.
If you have a data recovery system in place, the criminal alters its settings and renders it inactive. Unless you check your recovery system, you may not notice that it has been deactivated.
5. Disrupts Automated Processes
To mount pressure on you and have you do their bidding, a Snake ransomware actor disrupts all your automated processes. This will lead to a complete halt of your operations as you no longer have control of both your manual and automated processes.
6. Encrypts Files
Encrypting your files while they are still on your system is the last stage of a snake ransomware attack. Files in your operating system are exempted from encryption, so you can log in and perform your usual activities without a clue that your system is under attack. After encrypting your files, Snake renames them with new titles.
How Can You Prevent Snake Ransomware?
Snake ransomware is most effective when the initiator runs it with administrator privileges. This motivates them to retrieve and leverage your administrator credentials.
Here’s how to prevent attackers from taking over your system.
1. Deactivate Remote Desktop Protocol
The surest way an intruder can access your system with Snake ransomware is via a remote desktop protocol. While it enables you to work from any location without being physically close to your work computer, it also opens up a channel for possible attacks.
If you must enable RDP, uphold high-level security such as preventing third-party access to your server, implementing smart card authentication, and a defense-in-depth approach that secures each layer of your app. You may not be able to implement these security practices to a T at all times, so it’s best not to enable RDP unless it’s necessary.
2. Be Wary of Strange Attachments and Links
Deactivating remote desktop protocol doesn’t entirely put you off the radar of Snake ransomware. The perpetrators could send you amalware-infected attachmentor link that would grant them remote access once you open it.
Be mindful of the content you click on in your application. Consider installing an antivirus to detect and neutralize malware content from infecting your system if you accidentally open it.
3. Monitor Network Activities
Snake ransomware is a silent operator. It creeps in quietly and compromises your system without obstructing your operations. While things may look normal on the surface, there are bound to be some changes in the little details, but you wouldn’t notice them unless you looked closely.
Keep an eye on your network activities with an automated threat monitoring tool. It works around the clock, analyzing network traffic and how it interacts with your data. Such a device has the artificial intelligence to detect unusual behavior you would miss manually.
4. Back-Up Your Data on Separate Devices
Backing up your dataon the same system doesn’t provide much safety during a ransomware incident. Snake ransomware ransacks your entire system in search of data backups and destroys them.
Your best bet is to implement and store your backed-up data in separate locations. Ensure that these locations aren’t connected, so a threat actor can’t trace them. If possible, have a copy on an offline device. Even if hackers compromise your entire online system, the offline device will be intact.
5. Look Out for Strange Apps
When was the last time you checked your system for strange software? Intruders hardly execute cyberattacks manually. They install malicious software in target systems and control them remotely to achieve their goals. Thesemalicious appsare usually out of sight, so you would hardly notice them if you looked manually.
Use a threat detector system to scan your app periodically for unfamiliar tools. An effective one will not only detect such a device if present, but it’ll also contain it from further operations.
Proactive Security Helps Prevent Snake Ransomware
Snake ransomware encrypts your data. Unless you have the decryption key, there’s nothing you can do to retrieve it. It’s best to prevent things from getting to that point with proactive security. Be security-conscious and implement defenses ahead of time. With the right tools and culture, you can prevent Snake ransomware from entering your system and poisoning it.
