RanAway: A Novel Ransomware-Resilient ReFS File System

RanAway: A Novel Ransomware-Resilient ReFS File System | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article RanAway: A Novel Ransomware-Resilient ReFS File System Jinting Long, Hua Liang This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3960276/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Ransomware has emerged as a pervasive threat in the cybersecurity landscape, characterized by its ability to encrypt critical data and demand ransom for its release. Traditional cybersecurity defenses often fall short against sophisticated ransomware attacks due to their reliance on signature-based detection mechanisms and inadequate preventive measures. This paper introduces RanAway, an innovative solution designed to enhance ransomware resilience by leveraging the advanced features of the Microsoft Resilient File System (ReFS). Unlike conventional file systems, ReFS offers enhanced data integrity, automatic error correction, and robust resistance to data degradation—features that are crucial for mitigating the impact of ransomware attacks. RanAway integrates with ReFS to provide real-time monitoring of file system operations, employing heuristic and behavior-based algorithms to detect and prevent ransomware activities effectively. Our findings demonstrate RanAway's significant potential in reducing the risk of ransomware attacks, highlighting its contributions to the field of cybersecurity through innovative use of file system technologies for threat resilience. The deployment of RanAway represents a paradigm shift towards a more integrated and system-level approach in combating ransomware, offering a blueprint for future developments in cybersecurity defenses. Computer Architecture and Engineering Ransomware Resilience ReFS Cybersecurity Threat Detection Data Integrity Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-3960276","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":273139544,"identity":"4c4e04d4-0afd-49ea-8be5-b92284ee28eb","order_by":0,"name":"Jinting Long","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABCklEQVRIiWNgGAWjYHACxgNgshlIJDAwyBmABQ0s8OqBaWFsAGoxNmBgBmmRIKwFpKsBSCRuAGthwK1Fd/YBhgMfd9QyMLfzHn/wcEdt+nb2/qMbfhRIMPC3dydg02J2LoHh4Mwzx4EO40tsSDxzPHdnz2G2mz1Ah0mcObsBq5YzDAyHeduOAbXwGDYkth3L3XAjme0GD1CLgUQucVrSDYBabv4hrKUGpqUmAaTlNiFbDs5sOwDWMiOx7YDhhjOHzW7LGEjw4PEL44OPbXUMhv1nDD7+bKuTNzje+Ozmmz82cvztvVi1MDDwfwASh+s3NoB5h+HiPNiVw0EdgzyMMQpGwSgYBaMAHQAAYaBnRLUzmb0AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0000-4950-3109","institution":"Heilongjiang AI Consulting Group","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jinting","middleName":"","lastName":"Long","suffix":""},{"id":273139545,"identity":"94e5c1e1-606c-4a8a-80fc-e6217c0c0068","order_by":1,"name":"Hua Liang","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3240-6533","institution":"Heilongjiang AI Consulting Group","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hua","middleName":"","lastName":"Liang","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-02-16 03:52:25","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3960276/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3960276/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":51219279,"identity":"ac635110-a260-4180-963c-b8133cf744d7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-02-16 09:08:38","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":177415,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"3.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3960276/v1_covered_ad501cd8-2846-44a0-92b7-60ae0e410bb3.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eRanAway: A Novel Ransomware-Resilient ReFS File System\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"Heilongjiang AI Consulting Group","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Ransomware Resilience, ReFS, Cybersecurity, Threat Detection, Data Integrity","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3960276/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3960276/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eRansomware has emerged as a pervasive threat in the cybersecurity landscape, characterized by its ability to encrypt critical data and demand ransom for its release. Traditional cybersecurity defenses often fall short against sophisticated ransomware attacks due to their reliance on signature-based detection mechanisms and inadequate preventive measures. This paper introduces RanAway, an innovative solution designed to enhance ransomware resilience by leveraging the advanced features of the Microsoft Resilient File System (ReFS). Unlike conventional file systems, ReFS offers enhanced data integrity, automatic error correction, and robust resistance to data degradation—features that are crucial for mitigating the impact of ransomware attacks. RanAway integrates with ReFS to provide real-time monitoring of file system operations, employing heuristic and behavior-based algorithms to detect and prevent ransomware activities effectively. 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