From cybersecurity-skills
Deploys honeytoken canary files across directories to detect ransomware encryption via Python watchdog or OS monitoring, triggering alerts on modifications.
npx claudepluginhub mukul975/anthropic-cybersecurity-skills --plugin cybersecurity-skillsThis skill uses the workspace's default tool permissions.
- Setting up early-warning detection for ransomware on file servers or endpoints
Applies Acme Corporation brand guidelines including colors, fonts, layouts, and messaging to generated PowerPoint, Excel, and PDF documents.
Builds DCF models with sensitivity analysis, Monte Carlo simulations, and scenario planning for investment valuation and risk assessment.
Calculates profitability (ROE, margins), liquidity (current ratio), leverage, efficiency, and valuation (P/E, EV/EBITDA) ratios from financial statements in CSV, JSON, text, or Excel for investment analysis.
Do not use decoy files as the sole ransomware defense. They are a detection mechanism, not a prevention mechanism, and should complement backups, EDR, and access controls.
watchdog library for cross-platform file system monitoringPlan file placement for maximum detection coverage:
Canary File Placement Strategy:
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Naming Convention:
- Use names that sort FIRST and LAST alphabetically in each directory
- Ransomware typically enumerates directories A-Z or Z-A
- Examples: _AAAA_budget_2024.docx, ~zzzz_report_final.xlsx
Placement Locations:
- Root of every file share (\\server\share\_AAAA_canary.docx)
- Desktop, Documents, Downloads on each endpoint
- Department-specific shares (Finance, HR, Legal)
- Backup staging directories
- Home directories of high-privilege accounts
File Types:
- .docx, .xlsx, .pdf (most targeted by ransomware)
- .sql, .bak (database files, high value)
- Mix of file types to detect ransomware that targets specific extensions
Create decoy files with realistic content and metadata:
import os
import time
def create_canary_docx(filepath, content="Q4 Financial Summary - Confidential"):
"""Create a realistic .docx canary file using python-docx."""
from docx import Document
doc = Document()
doc.add_heading("Financial Report - CONFIDENTIAL", level=1)
doc.add_paragraph(content)
doc.add_paragraph(f"Generated: {time.strftime('%Y-%m-%d')}")
doc.save(filepath)
def create_canary_txt(filepath):
"""Create a simple text canary with known content for hash verification."""
content = "CANARY_TOKEN_DO_NOT_MODIFY\n"
content += f"Created: {time.strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S')}\n"
content += "This file is monitored for unauthorized changes.\n"
with open(filepath, "w") as f:
f.write(content)
Monitor canary files for any modification, rename, or deletion:
from watchdog.observers import Observer
from watchdog.events import FileSystemEventHandler
class CanaryHandler(FileSystemEventHandler):
def __init__(self, canary_paths, alert_callback):
self.canary_paths = set(canary_paths)
self.alert_callback = alert_callback
def on_modified(self, event):
if event.src_path in self.canary_paths:
self.alert_callback("MODIFIED", event.src_path)
def on_deleted(self, event):
if event.src_path in self.canary_paths:
self.alert_callback("DELETED", event.src_path)
def on_moved(self, event):
if event.src_path in self.canary_paths:
self.alert_callback("RENAMED", event.src_path)
Define automated responses when canary files are triggered:
Alert Response Matrix:
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Event: Canary MODIFIED
→ Severity: CRITICAL
→ Action: Alert SOC, identify modifying process (PID), isolate endpoint
Event: Canary DELETED
→ Severity: HIGH
→ Action: Alert SOC, check for ransomware note in same directory
Event: Canary RENAMED (new extension added)
→ Severity: CRITICAL
→ Action: Alert SOC, check extension against known ransomware extensions
→ Automated: Kill modifying process, disable network interface
Event: Multiple canaries triggered within 60 seconds
→ Severity: EMERGENCY
→ Action: Network-wide isolation, activate incident response plan
Test that canary files detect actual ransomware behavior:
# Simulate ransomware encryption (safe test - modifies canary content)
echo "ENCRYPTED_BY_TEST" > /path/to/canary/_AAAA_budget.docx
# Simulate ransomware rename (adds extension)
mv /path/to/canary/report.xlsx /path/to/canary/report.xlsx.locked
# Verify alerts were generated in SIEM/alerting system
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Canary File | A decoy file placed in a directory that is monitored for any access or modification, serving as a tripwire for unauthorized activity |
| Honeytoken | A broader category of deception artifacts (files, credentials, database records) designed to alert when accessed |
| File Integrity Monitoring | Continuous monitoring of file attributes (hash, size, permissions, timestamps) to detect unauthorized changes |
| ReadDirectoryChangesW | Windows API for monitoring file system changes in a directory; used by the watchdog library on Windows |
| inotify | Linux kernel subsystem for monitoring file system events; provides near-instant notification of file changes |