Surprise Ransomware
Surprise is a malicious ransomware strain that encrypts victim files and demands ransom payment for decryption. First observed in the wild on March 1, 2016, this ransomware has been actively targeting systems worldwide.
Quick facts
How Surprise ransomware works
File encryption patterns
Surprise modifies encrypted files using specific patterns to mark them as encrypted:
Ransom note and payment demands
After encrypting files, Surprise displays ransom notes demanding payment for file recovery:
notes/DECRYPTION_HOWTO.Notepad
About this analysis
This Surprise ransomware analysis is part of Elastio's comprehensive ransomware detection database. Elastio provides advanced ransomware protection and recovery, helping organizations defend against and recover from ransomware attacks like Surprise.
Last updated: December 30, 2025
Elastio detects Surprise inside your data and backups.
The Hunt Engine uses Deep File Inspection to identify Surprise across live data, replicated data, and backups. If this family is in your environment, Elastio finds it before encryption completes. Run a scan against your recovery points to confirm.
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