Michael Sikorski

Michael Sikorski: Dude, Where Are My Files? Reverse Engineering Ransomware

Michael Sikorski

FireEye malware analyst Michael Sikorski details the escalating threat landscape of financially motivated ransomware, highlighting catastrophic real-world impacts on organizations like Maersk and the shift of state actors toward direct extortion. He outlines essential analysis methodologies, ranging from static binary examination to deep reverse engineering, which revealed critical kill switches for devastating strains such as WannaCry and the destructive EternalPetya attack. Ultimately, the presentation emphasizes how these technical insights drive the industry's response to complex encryption schemes and enable data recovery assessments or containment measures against rapidly evolving malicious code.