Malicious Macaw Ransom Note or Encrypted File Written (via file_event)

ATT&CK techniques

Impact

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact
- T1486Data Encrypted for Impact

What it detects

This rule detects creation of the Macaw ransom note macaw_recover.txt or files bearing the .macaw encrypted extension. Macaw drops its recovery note into every affected folder and appends .macaw to each encrypted file. Appearance of these named artifacts confirms active encryption and demands immediate containment.

Reporting behind it

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Malicious Macaw Ransom Note or Encrypted File Written (via file_event)

Pivot detection · T1486 · 9 related

Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.

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