White Paper
Mallox Ransomware: Tactics, Evolution, and Technical Analysis
This white paper delivers a comprehensive technical breakdown of the Mallox ransomware, active since mid-2021 and primarily targeting unsecured Microsoft SQL servers. It explains how attackers use brute-force attacks on exposed MSSQL instances to gain initial access, followed by multi-stage payload delivery using highly obfuscated batch and PowerShell scripts. The paper details the decryption and execution of a .NET loader that injects the ransomware payload into legitimate Windows processes to evade detection. It analyzes encryption behavior, process termination, shadow copy deletion, registry modification, and system lockdown techniques. The document also covers data exfiltration, file and folder whitelisting logic, ransom note behavior, and MITRE ATT&CK mappings, providing defenders wit
