Redeye

Overview

Ransomware:Win32/Redeye is a destructive ransomware variant that encrypts user files and demands payment (usually in cryptocurrency) for the decryption key (`T1486`). Beyond simple encryption, Redeye is notable for its aggressive tactics aimed at completely disabling system recovery options and maximizing the victim's panic and operational downtime.

Understanding Redeye (Aggressive Ransomware)
To an end-user, a Redeye infection results in the immediate loss of access to all personal files (which are appended with a specific extension, like `.redeye`), replaced desktop wallpaper, and a prominent ransom note demanding payment. For an incident response team, Redeye represents a critical security failure, as it actively destroys local backups before initiating encryption.

Execution and Destruction Mechanics
Redeye is typically deployed post-compromise by a threat actor who has gained network access via RDP brute-forcing or phishing. Once executed, its first priority is to neuter the system's ability to recover. It executes commands to delete Volume Shadow Copies (`vssadmin.exe Delete Shadows /All /Quiet`), disable Windows Startup Recovery (`bcdedit /set {default} recoveryenabled No`), and clear Windows event logs to hinder forensic analysis (`T1490`). It then utilizes a strong encryption algorithm (e.g., AES + RSA) to encrypt documents, databases, and media files. Finally, it drops the ransom note (`T1491`) and may play a sound or aggressively change the desktop background to alert the user.

Indicators of Compromise & Impact
The primary impact is total data loss and severe operational disruption. Host-based IoCs are blatant: files appended with the Redeye extension, the presence of `vssadmin.exe` execution in the process command-line history (a massive red flag), and the sudden appearance of ransom note text/HTML files in every encrypted directory. Network IoCs may include the initial burst of traffic to a C2 server to transmit the generated encryption keys before the system is locked.

MITRE ATT&CK Techniques

Observed techniques used by this family, mapped to the MITRE ATT&CK framework:

Generated Detections (Boilerplate)

These YARA and Sigma rules are auto-generated based on the family name and aliases. They must be heavily tuned before deployment in a production environment.

YARA Rule

rule MALWARE_WIN_REDEYE {
    meta:
        description = "Detects Redeye (ransomware)"
        author = "SystemHelpdesk Boilerplate Generator"
        date = "2026-07-06"
    strings:
        $s1 = "redeye" ascii wide nocase
    condition:
        uint16(0) == 0x5a4d and any of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: Suspicious Redeye Activity
id: fbc01fbc1438d4c71bca7499278e89f4
status: experimental
description: Detects generic indicators of the redeye malware family.
logsource:
    category: process_creation
    product: windows
detection:
    selection:
        Image|endswith:
            - '\cmd.exe'
            - '\powershell.exe'
        CommandLine|contains:
            - "*redeye*"
    condition: selection
level: medium

Containment & Response Steps

Ordered checklist for responders. Adapt to your environment and engage professional support for active incidents.

1. Immediately disconnect the infected machine from the network (unplug the Ethernet cable) to prevent the ransomware from encrypting network shares.
2. Do NOT reboot the system if it is currently encrypting; a live memory capture might contain the encryption keys.
3. Identify the initial entry vector (e.g., exposed RDP port 3389) and close it immediately across the enterprise.
4. Restore data from offline, immutable backups that the ransomware could not reach.

What to Avoid

Common mistakes during response to this family that can destroy evidence, spread the infection, or worsen recovery.

1. Do not pay the ransom; it funds criminal enterprises and there is no guarantee the decryptor will actually work.
2. Avoid relying solely on local Windows backups (like Shadow Copies), as Redeye actively deletes them.

References & External Analysis

• Search "redeye" on VirusTotal (External Analysis)

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Families (Category: ransomware)

Explore other malware families in the same category:

• Ardurk
• Perseus
• 27D3E5Bc
• Chistudi
• Upackdam

Machine-readable

Get this profile as JSON: https://jordanricky1604-ship-it.github.io/malware-families-catalog/api/redeye.json

Ecosystem & Interactive Environments

This profile is part of the Malware Families Catalog, a public dataset of 2,899 malware families. The catalog is also published across our ecosystem: Hugging Face, Kaggle, Zenodo, Replit, StackBlitz, CodeSandbox, and CodePen.