Ransomware Groups Disable EDR, Backups and Windows Telemetry Before Encryption
Ransomware groups are prioritizing the disablement of security tools, backup systems, and Windows telemetry mechanisms before beginning encryption. The goal is to reduce organizations' ability to detect, contain, and recover from attacks.
An analysis of the ten families with the lowest prevention rates in 2026 showed that Play performed worst, blocking only 13 percent of attacks. BlackByte followed with 25 percent blocked, while LockBit achieved 30 percent blocked.
Among the most common techniques is the interruption or modification of defensive tools. BabLock, for example, uses a legitimate uninstaller to remove endpoint protection and terminates processes related to antivirus, EDR, backup, and database applications. After these steps, the ransomware deletes the Security and System event logs, eliminating critical records for incident response teams and complicating reconstruction of attacker activity.
LockBit 5.0 takes a different approach by interfering with Event Tracing for Windows, the mechanism used by many security solutions to collect events. This change prevents certain information from being recorded and reduces visibility for monitoring tools.
Other families rely on process injection, direct in-memory code execution, registry alterations, file disguise, and abuse of legitimate Windows utilities to conceal their operations.
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