Hierarchical Entropy Disruption for Ransomware Detection: A Computationally-Driven Framework

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Srynn, Hayden, Pomeroy, Gilbert, Lytton, Florence, Ashcombe, Godfrey, Harcourt, Valentine, Pettigrew, Duncan
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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_version_ 1866912526456848384
author Srynn, Hayden
Pomeroy, Gilbert
Lytton, Florence
Ashcombe, Godfrey
Harcourt, Valentine
Pettigrew, Duncan
author_facet Srynn, Hayden
Pomeroy, Gilbert
Lytton, Florence
Ashcombe, Godfrey
Harcourt, Valentine
Pettigrew, Duncan
contents The rapid evolution of encryption-based threats has rendered conventional detection mechanisms increasingly ineffective against sophisticated attack strategies. Monitoring entropy variations across hierarchical system levels offers an alternative approach to identifying unauthorized data modifications without relying on static signatures. A framework leveraging hierarchical entropy disruption was introduced to analyze deviations in entropy distributions, capturing behavioral anomalies indicative of malicious encryption operations. Evaluating the framework across multiple ransomware variants demonstrated its capability to achieve high detection accuracy while maintaining minimal computational overhead. Entropy distributions across different system directories revealed that encryption activities predominantly targeted user-accessible files, aligning with observed attacker strategies. Detection latency analysis indicated that early-stage identification was feasible, mitigating potential data loss before critical system impact occurred. The framework's ability to operate efficiently in real-time environments was validated through an assessment of resource utilization, confirming a balanced trade-off between detection precision and computational efficiency. Comparative benchmarking against established detection methods highlighted the limitations of conventional approaches in identifying novel ransomware variants, whereas entropy-based anomaly detection provided resilience against obfuscation techniques.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_08843
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Hierarchical Entropy Disruption for Ransomware Detection: A Computationally-Driven Framework
Srynn, Hayden
Pomeroy, Gilbert
Lytton, Florence
Ashcombe, Godfrey
Harcourt, Valentine
Pettigrew, Duncan
Cryptography and Security
The rapid evolution of encryption-based threats has rendered conventional detection mechanisms increasingly ineffective against sophisticated attack strategies. Monitoring entropy variations across hierarchical system levels offers an alternative approach to identifying unauthorized data modifications without relying on static signatures. A framework leveraging hierarchical entropy disruption was introduced to analyze deviations in entropy distributions, capturing behavioral anomalies indicative of malicious encryption operations. Evaluating the framework across multiple ransomware variants demonstrated its capability to achieve high detection accuracy while maintaining minimal computational overhead. Entropy distributions across different system directories revealed that encryption activities predominantly targeted user-accessible files, aligning with observed attacker strategies. Detection latency analysis indicated that early-stage identification was feasible, mitigating potential data loss before critical system impact occurred. The framework's ability to operate efficiently in real-time environments was validated through an assessment of resource utilization, confirming a balanced trade-off between detection precision and computational efficiency. Comparative benchmarking against established detection methods highlighted the limitations of conventional approaches in identifying novel ransomware variants, whereas entropy-based anomaly detection provided resilience against obfuscation techniques.
title Hierarchical Entropy Disruption for Ransomware Detection: A Computationally-Driven Framework
topic Cryptography and Security
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.08843