Similarity Analysis of Ransomware Attacks Based on ATT&CK Matrix

In recent years, there has been an increasingly prevalent trend of ransomware attacks, with malicious organizations employing various techniques to gain system privileges and subsequently engaging in extortion through methods such as encrypting files or leaking information. Current research predomin...

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Main Authors: Zheyu Song, Yonghong Tian, Junjin Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IEEE 2023-01-01
Series:IEEE Access
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10273710/
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author Zheyu Song
Yonghong Tian
Junjin Zhang
author_facet Zheyu Song
Yonghong Tian
Junjin Zhang
author_sort Zheyu Song
collection DOAJ
description In recent years, there has been an increasingly prevalent trend of ransomware attacks, with malicious organizations employing various techniques to gain system privileges and subsequently engaging in extortion through methods such as encrypting files or leaking information. Current research predominantly focuses on the analysis of ransomware using existing features, but there has been scarce exploration of the behavioral patterns associated with ransomware attacks. In light of this situation, we propose a ransomware attack similarity analysis method based on the ATT&CK matrix. To initiate this analysis, a substantial amount of network threat intelligence is sifted through to select reliable and comprehensive ransomware attack incidents. From these incidents, we extract attack tactics, techniques, and procedural information. Subsequently, we employ the TF-IDF algorithm to calculate the keyword weights within attack descriptions. Based on these weights, we utilize the cosine similarity algorithm to compare the similarity between attack events. This approach reveals critical technical and tactical information employed by the attacking organizations, enabling researchers to gain a deeper understanding of the behavioral patterns of the attackers. Finally, we propose countermeasures corresponding to the critical attack techniques employed by these malicious organizations. These countermeasures aim to enhance network security defenses and reduce the risks associated with ransomware attacks.
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spelling doaj.art-75d379399a0c4fd39f78f9a550845e652023-10-16T23:00:32ZengIEEEIEEE Access2169-35362023-01-011111137811138810.1109/ACCESS.2023.332242710273710Similarity Analysis of Ransomware Attacks Based on ATT&CK MatrixZheyu Song0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3723-5914Yonghong Tian1Junjin Zhang2College of Data Science and Applications, Inner Mongolia University of Technology, Hohhot, ChinaCollege of Data Science and Applications, Inner Mongolia University of Technology, Hohhot, ChinaCollege of Data Science and Applications, Inner Mongolia University of Technology, Hohhot, ChinaIn recent years, there has been an increasingly prevalent trend of ransomware attacks, with malicious organizations employing various techniques to gain system privileges and subsequently engaging in extortion through methods such as encrypting files or leaking information. Current research predominantly focuses on the analysis of ransomware using existing features, but there has been scarce exploration of the behavioral patterns associated with ransomware attacks. In light of this situation, we propose a ransomware attack similarity analysis method based on the ATT&CK matrix. To initiate this analysis, a substantial amount of network threat intelligence is sifted through to select reliable and comprehensive ransomware attack incidents. From these incidents, we extract attack tactics, techniques, and procedural information. Subsequently, we employ the TF-IDF algorithm to calculate the keyword weights within attack descriptions. Based on these weights, we utilize the cosine similarity algorithm to compare the similarity between attack events. This approach reveals critical technical and tactical information employed by the attacking organizations, enabling researchers to gain a deeper understanding of the behavioral patterns of the attackers. Finally, we propose countermeasures corresponding to the critical attack techniques employed by these malicious organizations. These countermeasures aim to enhance network security defenses and reduce the risks associated with ransomware attacks.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10273710/Cybersecuritycyber threat intelligenceransomware attacksimilarity comparisonMITRE ATT&CK
spellingShingle Zheyu Song
Yonghong Tian
Junjin Zhang
Similarity Analysis of Ransomware Attacks Based on ATT&CK Matrix
IEEE Access
Cybersecurity
cyber threat intelligence
ransomware attack
similarity comparison
MITRE ATT&CK
title Similarity Analysis of Ransomware Attacks Based on ATT&CK Matrix
title_full Similarity Analysis of Ransomware Attacks Based on ATT&CK Matrix
title_fullStr Similarity Analysis of Ransomware Attacks Based on ATT&CK Matrix
title_full_unstemmed Similarity Analysis of Ransomware Attacks Based on ATT&CK Matrix
title_short Similarity Analysis of Ransomware Attacks Based on ATT&CK Matrix
title_sort similarity analysis of ransomware attacks based on att x0026 ck matrix
topic Cybersecurity
cyber threat intelligence
ransomware attack
similarity comparison
MITRE ATT&CK
url https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10273710/
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AT yonghongtian similarityanalysisofransomwareattacksbasedonattx0026ckmatrix
AT junjinzhang similarityanalysisofransomwareattacksbasedonattx0026ckmatrix