What Is Ransomware and How Can Organizations Detect and Mitigate It?
Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts data or disrupts systems to demand payment. In 2026, ransomware attacks such as dharma ransomware, hive ransomware, maze ransomware, ransomhub ransomware attacks, and rhysida ransomware continue to evolve using advanced lateral movement techniques.
To detect ransomware early, organizations must monitor abnormal file encryption behavior, privilege escalation, suspicious PowerShell execution, command-and-control traffic, and lateral movement across endpoints and networks.
Effective ransomware mitigation requires:
- Continuous network security monitoring
- Endpoint detection and response
- Early detection of lateral movement
- Automated ransomware incident response workflows
- Unified visibility across cloud, endpoint, and network
Introduction
Ransomware continues to be a scourge upon the world’s digital infrastructure. As noted by the Institute for Security and Technology’s Ransomware Task Force, in 2020 ransomware attacks on organizations resulted in, on average, 21 days of downtime, 287 days to fully recover, with over $350 million in ransoms known to be paid, and an average ransom of over $312,000. It’s easy to feel that the bad guys have gained the upper hand.
Yet, while ransomware is a particularly noxious and damaging type of cybercrime, it’s really just the latest wave in a war that’s been waged continuously since NetWitness was first developed 25 years ago. From a cybersecurity perspective, ransomware is reliant on the same type of tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) as other types of cybercrime such as economic espionage, data exfiltration, and identity theft. It generates similar indicators of compromise (IOCs) and behavioral signatures, which can be detected and used to neutralize attacks with sophisticated tools employed by skilled threat hunters.
Ransomware remains one of the most disruptive cyber threats in 2026. From dharma ransomware and hive ransomware to maze ransomware and rhysida ransomware, modern ransomware types now combine encryption, data theft, and extortion. The ransomware latest attack patterns show one consistent trend: attackers rely heavily on lateral movement techniques before encryption begins. That shift makes early detection and structured ransomware incident response more critical than ever.
NetWitness customers, and our own threat hunters and researchers, understand this basic premise and battle ransomware actors continuously. Having proactive defenses in place greatly lowers the risk of the types of substantial damages cited in the Ransomware Task Force report. NetWitness stands shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the cybersecurity industry in sharing threat information and detection techniques, while constantly improving the platform’s ability to successfully defend against cybercrime evolutions such as ransomware.
Ransomware Types and Evolution
Understanding ransomware types is essential for building effective ransomware mitigation strategies.
- Dharma ransomware often exploits exposed RDP services and weak credentials.
- Hive ransomware operates through affiliate-based campaigns and double extortion.
- Maze ransomware popularized public data leaks as pressure tactics.
- Rhysida ransomware targets enterprise environments with stealthy persistence.
- Ransomhub ransomware attacks reflect the rise of ransomware-as-a-service ecosystems.
Despite differences, these ransomware types share one operational pattern: quiet reconnaissance followed by aggressive encryption. Recognizing these behaviors early improves ransomware response outcomes.
Supply Chain Ransomware
The latest example of this evolution is supply chain ransomware, as seen in the Kaseya attack. In this case, the infamous REvil ransomware gang combined ransomware with a supply chain attack, making it possible to attack many victims at once – a novel technique that greatly increased the impact and potential profitability of their criminal efforts. Burying the ransomware in software from Kaseya, a provider of IT/security management solutions for managed service providers (MSPs) and small to medium businesses (SMBs), REvil was able to infect many of Kaseya’s customers, and Kaseya’s MSP customers’ customers, in a single act.
How to Detect Ransomware Before Encryption
Most ransomware latest attack patterns do not begin with encryption. They begin with reconnaissance. Attackers gain access, escalate privileges, and move laterally. By the time files are encrypted, the compromise may have been active for days.
Here’s how to detect ransomware before detonation:
1. Monitor Lateral Movement Techniques
Look for abnormal SMB traffic, unusual RDP sessions, credential dumping tools, and suspicious authentication spikes. These behaviors often precede dharma ransomware and rhysida ransomware deployments.
2. Detect Data Staging and Exfiltration
Groups such as maze ransomware and hive ransomware pioneered double extortion. Data is exfiltrated before encryption. Sudden outbound data transfers are an early warning sign.
3. Identify Privilege Escalation Attempts
Unauthorized admin access or unusual Active Directory modifications are strong ransomware indicators.
4. Correlate Network and Endpoint Signals
Point tools miss context. Correlating network telemetry, endpoint behavior, and identity logs provides the visibility required for effective ransomware response.
The goal is not just to eliminate ransomware after impact. The goal is to interrupt it before encryption spreads.
FIN13: Inside a Fintech Cyber Attack
FIN13 is one of today’s most disruptive threat groups targeting fintech organizations with precision and persistence. This whitepaper breaks down their full attack chain—from reconnaissance and credential theft to lateral movement, data exfiltration, and evasion techniques. Gain insights into their TTPs, discover detection opportunities across the kill chain, and learn how NetWitness empowers faster response and mitigation.
The NetWitness Platform: Defending Against Ransomware Attacks
Because ransomware, like other advanced persistent threats (APTs), must first breach a target and conduct reconnaissance to locate important assets, using well-understood tactics such as credential harvesting and network traversal, there are signals that can be targeted for detection. Finding the attack before the ransomware is detonated is critical.
NetWitness users have a range of powerful tools available, including visibility across network packets, system logs, PC and server endpoints, and Internet of Things (IoT), among data center, cloud, and virtualized systems. This makes it extremely difficult for ransomware and other exploits to hide while performing their necessary activities. Through continuous real-world usage, NetWitness security researchers have developed a vast library of assets that help NetWitness users – and users of other systems, as intelligence sharing is a core value among cybersecurity professionals – to quickly identify new attack variants including ransomware. Some of these resources include:
- Using NetWitness to Detect Ransomware Attacks – a step-by-step guide detailing how businesses can use the platform to identify anomalous behaviors and prevent successful attacks
- How to Begin Looking for Malware with NetWitness Platform – a how-to video detailing manual malware analysis and binary identification using NetWitness Platform
- Detecting and Responding to a Ransomware Attack – an infographic listing steps to safely detect, investigate, and respond to an attack
- Maze Ransomware Detection with NetWitness – a technical guide to detecting Maze ransomware focused on NetWitness Network
- Strategies for Managing Ransomware Risk in Healthcare — a white paper discussing ransomware in one highly-targeted industries
The latest guide, appropriately, is Detecting and Responding to Kaseya Ransomware with the NetWitness Platform, which provides specific technical content on how to detect the Kaseya attack using the NetWitness Platform, and the specific steps to take to respond.
Summing Up
The continued use of ransomware is dominating headlines, due to its high impact and continuing innovation in things like Supply Chain Attacks and Ransomware as a Service (RaaS). And while a lot of appropriate attention is focused on geopolitical efforts to deny ransomware practitioners the safe harbor they require, it’s safe to say that ransomware – like other types of cyber-attacks — will always be with us in some form. Organizations seeking to defend themselves and reduce the risk of catastrophic outcomes can act today with a leading cyber defense platform like NetWitness.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is ransomware and why is it still a major threat in 2026?
Ransomware is malicious software designed to encrypt files or disrupt systems until a ransom is paid. It remains a major threat in 2026 because attackers have shifted to double and triple extortion models. Groups like maze ransomware and hive ransomware not only encrypt data but also threaten to leak sensitive information, increasing pressure on victims.
Modern ransomware attacks are faster, stealthier, and more automated, making early detection critical.
2. What makes ransomware difficult to detect and stop?
Ransomware is difficult to detect because it often blends into legitimate administrative activity before encryption begins. Attackers use lateral movement techniques such as credential theft, remote desktop abuse, and PowerShell scripting to move quietly through networks.
By the time encryption starts, the attacker may already have domain-level access. That is why detecting pre-encryption behaviors is essential.
3. How does NetWitness help detect ransomware before it detonates?
NetWitness detects ransomware before detonation by correlating endpoint, network, and log data in real time. Instead of relying solely on signature-based detection, it identifies suspicious behaviors such as unusual authentication patterns, data staging activity, and lateral movement attempts.
This unified visibility enables security teams to trigger ransomware response workflows before encryption spreads.
4. What types of ransomware activities can NetWitness detect?
NetWitness can detect:
- Credential dumping and privilege escalation
- Command-and-control communications
- Lateral movement across endpoints
- Suspicious file encryption activity
- Data exfiltration prior to encryption
- Abnormal network traffic tied to ransomhub ransomware attacks and other emerging variants
This behavioral detection model improves ransomware mitigation and shortens response time.
5. What role does visibility play in mitigating ransomware risk?
Visibility is the foundation of effective ransomware response. Without cross-layer visibility across endpoint, network, cloud, and identity systems, ransomware detection happens too late.
Unified visibility allows security teams to:
- Detect early warning signals
- Understand attacker movement paths
- Accelerate containment
- Reduce dwell time
- Prevent full-scale operational disruption.
6. Can a network traffic monitor work in cloud and hybrid environments?
Yes. Modern network traffic monitoring supports hybrid and cloud traffic sources, enabling visibility across on-prem, cloud, and distributed segments.
Rolling the Dice: Ransomware in the Gaming Industry
Discover how ransomware attacks hit gaming companies, how attackers moved laterally, and why network visibility is key. Learn real-world lessons and strategies to detect, respond, and protect critical systems.
