Ghost ransomware (also known as Cring, Crypt3r, Phantom, Strike, Hello, Wickrme, HsHarada, and Rapture) operates differently from many other ransomware threats—it doesn't linger in networks or rely on elaborate phishing schemes. Instead, it moves fast, getting in and out within days, often launching its ransomware attack the same day it gains access.
Rather than using social engineering, Ghost primarily exploits known vulnerabilities in outdated software, making organizations with unpatched systems especially vulnerable.
Unlike groups that steal and sell data, Ghost’s main objective is to encrypt and demand a ransom—it locks down files, demands payment, and moves on, leaving little time for victims to react.
How Ghost ransomware works
Initial access: exploiting public-facing vulnerabilities
Ghost actors do not rely on phishing emails or social engineering tactics as their primary entry point. Instead, they aggressively exploit known vulnerabilities in publicly accessible systems, including:
- Fortinet FortiOS (CVE-2018-13379)
- Adobe ColdFusion (CVE-2010-2861, CVE-2009-3960)
- Microsoft SharePoint (CVE-2019-0604)
- Microsoft Exchange ProxyShell vulnerabilities (CVE-2021-34473, CVE-2021-34523, CVE-2021-31207)
By taking advantage of unpatched software, Ghost actors can gain initial access to a network without requiring user interaction, making their attacks more difficult to prevent.
Rapid execution and encryption
Once inside a network, Ghost ransomware moves quickly:
- Privilege escalation: Attackers use tools like SharpZeroLogon and BadPotato to gain SYSTEM-level access.
- Disabling security tools: Ghost actors deactivate Windows Defender and other antivirus solutions to avoid detection.
- Lateral movement: They spread across the network using PowerShell commands and Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI).
- File encryption: The ransomware payload—Ghost.exe, Ghost.exe, or ElysiumO.exe—encrypts files, rendering them inaccessible.
- Ransom demand: A note is left behind, demanding tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency for decryption keys.
Limited persistence and data exfiltration
Unlike other ransomware operators who establish long-term persistence, Ghost actors complete their attack within a few days. CISA has observed that persistence is not a priority for this group. While some data exfiltration occurs—often using Cobalt Strike Team Servers or Mega.nz cloud storage—Ghost actors primarily focus on encrypting data rather than stealing it.
Why traditional security tools fail to stop Ghost ransomware
Ghost ransomware is not a typical cyber threat. It bypasses traditional security measures like firewalls, Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), and even Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solutions. These tools rely heavily on known attack signatures, behavioral baselines, and rule-based detection, but Ghost operates too fast, exploits public vulnerabilities, and evades detection long enough to complete its attack.
1. Ghost exploits public-facing vulnerabilities
Ghost doesn’t use phishing or malware-laden email attachments. Instead, it directly exploits unpatched software vulnerabilities in Fortinet, Microsoft Exchange, and Adobe ColdFusion. Traditional security tools often fail to flag legitimate but vulnerable applications being exploited.
2. Ghost moves too fast for behavior-based detection
Many security solutions rely on anomaly detection and endpoint behavior monitoring. However, Ghost operators execute their attack within hours or days, often encrypting data on the same day they gain access. By the time SIEM systems aggregate and analyze logs, the damage is already done.
3. Ghost lives off the land with native Windows tools
Ghost ransomware blends in seamlessly with legitimate system activity by abusing native Windows components like PowerShell, Windows Command Shell, and Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI). These built-in tools, commonly used for IT administration, make it difficult for security products to distinguish malicious actions from legitimate operations. By living off the land (LotL), Ghost avoids detection while moving laterally across the network, executing commands, and deploying ransomware unnoticed.
4. Ghost disables security measures
Ghost actively disables Windows Defender, antivirus software, and other endpoint protections, neutralizing many traditional defenses before launching the ransomware payload.
5. Ghost strikes fast with no need for persistence
Since Ghost actors don’t establish long-term persistence, traditional security tools looking for sustained threats may fail to detect it before encryption occurs.
How Vectra AI detects and stops Ghost in real time
Ghost ransomware moves too fast for traditional security solutions, often executing within hours of initial access. SIEM, EDR, and other rule-based tools take too long to analyze logs and detect patterns, leaving defenders several steps behind the attack. Vectra AI, however, can detect and prioritize threats within minutes—far faster than traditional solutions, which may take hours or even days to respond. By leveraging AI-driven threat detection and response, Vectra AI gives security teams a critical advantage to stop Ghost before encryption begins.
Why Vectra AI Outpaces Traditional Security
1. AI-powered Attack Signal Intelligence
Ghost lives off the land, abusing native Windows tools like PowerShell and WMI to blend in with normal admin activity. Vectra AI detects these subtle attacker behaviors in real time, long before encryption starts—something traditional signature-based tools fail to do.
2. Early detection of hidden lateral movement
Ghost moves quickly using SMB, WMI, and RDP, spreading across the network before defenders even realize an attack is in progress. Vectra AI identifies stealthy lateral movement, even when it’s disguised as routine admin tasks.
3. Real-time threat prioritization
Traditional solutions generate too many alerts, too late, making it difficult for security teams to react in time. Vectra AI cuts through the noise, correlating behaviors and highlighting actual threats—so defenders can act immediately.
4. Automated response and containment
By the time Ghost reaches the lateral movement phase, Vectra AI has already escalated the threat for automated remediation. Compromised hosts are isolated before encryption begins, halting Ghost’s execution before widespread damage occurs.
5. Prevention beyond signatures
Since Ghost modifies ransom notes, payloads, and attack indicators frequently, signature-based security fails to keep up. Vectra AI’s AI-driven approach detects the underlying attacker behaviors, regardless of the payload variant.
Traditional security is too slow—only AI can stop Ghost in time
Ghost ransomware exploits gaps in traditional security, moving too fast for firewalls, EDR, IDS, and SIEM solutions to react in time. To defend against these rapid-hit ransomware attacks, organizations need AI-powered, behavior-based detection and response. Vectra AI detects and responds in real time, stopping Ghost and other threat actors within minutes rather than hours or days.
To learn how Vectra AI can protect your organization from ransomware, learn more about our Platform or request a demo today.