How to Conduct a Ransomware Fire Drill: Hands-On Simulation Guide

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Ransomware attacks are escalating, and recovery speed is critical. This article provides actionable steps to simulate a ransomware fire drill, ensuring your team can respond effectively.

You Should Know:

1. Pre-Drill Preparation

  • Isolate Test Systems: Use a segmented lab environment to avoid impacting production.
    Create an isolated network namespace (Linux) 
sudo ip netns add ransomware-drill 
sudo ip netns exec ransomware-drill bash
  • Deploy Test Data: Generate dummy files for encryption simulation.
    Create test files 
mkdir -p /tmp/ransomware-test && cd $_ 
for i in {1..100}; do head -c 2M /dev/urandom > file$i.dat; done

2. Simulate Ransomware Encryption

Use a harmless “ransomware” script to mimic an attack:

 Fake ransomware script (for educational purposes) 
for file in /tmp/ransomware-test/; do 
openssl enc -aes-256-cbc -salt -in "$file" -out "$file.encrypted" -k "drillpassword" && rm "$file" 
done

3. Incident Response Steps

  • Detect the Attack:
    Monitor file changes with auditd (Linux) 
sudo auditctl -w /tmp/ransomware-test/ -p wa -k ransomware_activity
  • Contain the Threat:
    Isolate affected systems (Windows) 
Stop-Computer -ComputerName "INFECTED_HOST" -Force

4. Recovery Tactics

  • Restore from Backups:
    Use rsync to restore files from backup (Linux) 
rsync -avz /backup/ransomware-test/ /tmp/ransomware-test/
  • Decrypt Files (If Keys Available):
    for file in /tmp/ransomware-test/.encrypted; do 
openssl enc -d -aes-256-cbc -in "$file" -out "${file%.encrypted}" -k "drillpassword" 
done

5. Post-Drill Analysis

  • Log Review:
    Check audit logs (Linux) 
ausearch -k ransomware_activity | aureport -f -i
  • Windows Event Logs:
    Get-WinEvent -FilterHashtable @{LogName='Security'; ID=4663} | Format-List

What Undercode Say

Ransomware drills are no longer optional. Regular simulations reduce recovery time and expose gaps in backup strategies. Use immutable backups (AWS S3 Object Lock, Veeam) and enforce least-privilege access.

Prediction

By 2026, AI-driven ransomware will automate target selection, making drills essential for all enterprises.

Expected Output

  • Isolated test environment logs.
  • Decrypted files restored to original state.
  • Incident report with remediation timeline.

Relevant URL: Druva Ransomware Workshop (if applicable).

IT/Security Reporter URL:

Reported By: Andrew Hemming – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅

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