Matrix

Overview

Matrix (cataloged under signatures Ransom:Win32/Matrix, Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Matrix, and Win32/Matrix) is a sophisticated targeted ransomware family active since 2016. Matrix operators primarily compromise corporate environments by brute-forcing weakly secured Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) services or utilizing stolen administrative credentials. Once inside the perimeter, attackers manually perform network discovery, disable endpoint protection tools, and deploy Matrix across workstations and domain controllers. Matrix uses a hybrid cryptographic scheme combining AES-128 in CBC mode with an embedded RSA-1024/2048 public key to encrypt critical business files, appending dynamic extensions (such as .MTX, .pyong, or .PRCP) to affected data. Matrix rigorously executes batch scripts to wipe Volume Shadow Copies, clear Windows Event Logs (wevtutil), and disable system repair mechanisms.

Known aliases

Threat reports may refer to this family under multiple names:

• Ransom:Win32/Matrix
• Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Matrix
• Win32/Matrix
• Ransom.Matrix
• Ransom:Win32/Matrix.A

MITRE ATT&CK Techniques

Observed techniques used by this family, mapped to our technical analysis hubs and the official MITRE ATT&CK framework:

MITRE D3FEND™ Defensive Countermeasures

Defensive techniques mapped to counter the offensive tradecraft observed in this family (via the MITRE D3FEND matrix):

Tiered Detection Rules (Cisco CAIRN Model)

Modern threat detection requires multi-layered rule engineering. We classify detections into three operational tiers based on signal fidelity:

rule MALWARE_WIN_MATRIX_T1_ARTIFACT {
    meta:
        description = "Tier 1 Primitive Artifact: Raw string matches for Matrix"
        tier = "T1 - Primitive Artifact"
        confidence = "Low-Medium (Fast Triage)"
        author = "SystemHelpdesk Threat Research Desk"
        date = "2026-10-14"
    strings:
        $s1 = "matrix" ascii wide nocase
        $s2 = "ransom:win32/matrix" ascii wide nocase
        $s3 = "trojan-ransom.win32.matrix" ascii wide nocase
        $s4 = "win32/matrix" ascii wide nocase
        $s5 = "ransom.matrix" ascii wide nocase
        $s6 = "ransom:win32/matrix.a" ascii wide nocase
    condition:
        uint16(0) == 0x5a4d and any of them
}

title: SystemHelpDesk Detection - Matrix (Ransomware) Execution & Triage
id: 6016b550-1206-5f59-b8ec-a07cdd189c51
status: production
description: Detects execution, defense evasion, and persistence behaviors associated
  with the Matrix malware family. Detects volume shadow copy deletion, boot status
  tampering, and recovery inhibition characteristic of modern ransomware operations.
references:
- https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/families/matrix
- https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/defensive/ransomware-protection
- https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/
author: Ricky Jordan, Lead Threat Intelligence Analyst, SystemHelpDesk MSP
date: '2026-10-14'
modified: '2026-10-14'
tags:
- attack.ransomware
- author.ricky-jordan
- source.systemhelpdesk-mfc
- attack.t1133
- attack.t1486
- attack.t1490
- attack.t1070_001
- attack.t1562_001
logsource:
  category: process_creation
  product: windows
detection:
  selection_process:
    Image|endswith:
    - \vssadmin.exe
    - \wmic.exe
    - \wbadmin.exe
    - \bcdedit.exe
    CommandLine|contains:
    - delete shadows
    - shadowcopy delete
    - resize shadowstorage
    - recoveryenabled no
    - ignoreallfailures
  condition: selection_process
falsepositives:
- Legitimate enterprise administrative scripts during approved change windows
- Authorized IT software deployment utilities and backup management agents
level: critical

rule MALWARE_WIN_MATRIX_T3_ATTRIBUTION {
    meta:
        description = "Tier 3 Attribution Fingerprint: Heuristic detection for Matrix tradecraft"
        tier = "T3 - Attribution Fingerprint"
        confidence = "High (Confirmed Family Signature)"
        author = "SystemHelpdesk Threat Research Desk"
        date = "2026-10-14"
    strings:
        // Core family identifier & heuristic payload signatures
        $attrib_str = "matrix" ascii wide nocase
        $pe_magic = "MZ" ascii
        $net_marker = "http" ascii nocase
    condition:
        uint16(0) == 0x5a4d and ($attrib_str and $net_marker) and filesize < 15MB
}

Containment & Response Steps

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

1. Immediately disable internet-exposed RDP connections and isolate affected network segments.
2. Terminate active Matrix ransomware processes and associated command batch scripts.
3. Capture memory dumps from affected servers before rebooting to preserve cryptographic artifacts.
4. Force reset domain-wide administrative credentials and audit Active Directory for newly added user accounts.
5. Restore enterprise systems from secure, immutable offline backups.

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 extortion demand, as it encourages further targeted network intrusion campaigns.
2. Do not leave default RDP port 3389 open to the public internet without VPN and MFA protections.

References & External Analysis

• SophosLabs - Matrix Ransomware In-Depth Technical Report
• Microsoft Defender Threat Encyclopedia - Ransom:Win32/Matrix
• Trend Micro Threat Encyclopedia - Ransom_Matrix
• Search "matrix" on VirusTotal (External Analysis)
• Search "matrix" on Any.Run (Sandbox Sandbox)
• Search "matrix" on MalwareBazaar (Malware Samples)

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Threats (Category: Ransomware)

Explore other documented threats in the same operational category:

• Gamup
• Genericrxel
• Passwordfox
• Zesibund
• Genericrxam
• Murka
• Minggy
• Quervar

Machine-readable

Get this profile as JSON: https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/api/matrix.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.