Open Source Ransomware Detection
RANZER monitors your files in real time, identifies encryption patterns using entropy analysis and decoy files, and terminates ransomware the moment it's detected.
Free and open source · Windows & Linux
Features
RANZER combines multiple detection methods so no ransomware slips through undetected.
Watches every file event in your directories as it happens - using inotify on Linux and Watchdog on Windows. Zero polling delay.
Measures data randomness in written files. Encrypted content has near-maximum entropy - RANZER catches it before the file is saved.
Deploys invisible decoy files inside monitored directories. Any process that reads, modifies, or renames them triggers an immediate CRITICAL alert.
When threat score reaches CRITICAL, RANZER kills the ransomware process automatically - no user action required, no seconds wasted.
Pinpoints the exact PID responsible for suspicious writes using I/O tracking - on Linux via /proc, on Windows via continuous io_counters polling.
Native implementation for both Linux and Windows. Same detection accuracy, the same GUI, purpose-built for each OS's file system and process model.
How It Works
From install to protection in minutes. RANZER runs quietly in the background and acts the moment a threat is confirmed.
Choose the directories you want to protect. RANZER deploys honey files, starts watching file events, and begins tracking process write rates - all immediately.
Every file event is scored. Entropy spikes, honey file touches, and write rate surges each contribute to a threat score. Signals are correlated across all detection layers.
When the score reaches CRITICAL, RANZER terminates the ransomware process instantly. The GUI shows you exactly which process was caught and why.
Download
Available for Windows and Linux. Install in minutes with the one-click installer or set up from source via GitHub.
Windows
One-click installer for Windows 10 and 11. Includes the full GUI, auto-start, and Start Menu integration. Run as Administrator to install.
Linux
Debian package for Ubuntu, Debian, and derivatives. Includes the full GUI, system service integration, and desktop launcher.
Open Source
Prefer GitHub? Clone the repo and run directly. No build step required - just Python and the dependencies.
# Clone the repository git clone https://github.com/RIVIRU05/Ranzer.git cd ranzer # Install dependencies pip install -r requirements.txt # Launch the GUI python3 -m ranzer gui # Or run from CLI (monitor a directory) python3 -m ranzer monitor --dir ~/Documents --auto-terminate
# Clone the repository (PowerShell or Git Bash) git clone https://github.com/RIVIRU05/Ranzer.git cd ranzer # Run the installer (as Administrator) # Right-click install.bat → "Run as administrator" install.bat # Or launch directly without installing pip install -r requirements.txt python -m ranzer gui
View the full source on GitHub →
Developed as part of an academic project at
Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia