Ransomware can exploit memory vulnerabilities in several ways, often targeting flaws in memory management to execute malicious code or gain unauthorized access. Here are some common methods:
1. Buffer Overflows: Attackers exploit vulnerabilities where a program writes more data to a buffer than it can hold, allowing them to overwrite adjacent memory and execute arbitrary code.
2. Heap Spraying: This technique involves filling the heap memory with malicious code, which is then triggered by exploiting a vulnerability.
3. Memory Corruption: By corrupting memory structures, attackers can manipulate the execution flow of a program to their advantage.
4. Direct Memory Access (DMA) Attacks: Some ransomware leverages DMA to access memory directly, bypassing the operating system’s security mechanisms.
5. Exploitation of Memory-Mapped Files: Ransomware can target memory-mapped files to encrypt data directly in memory, making it harder to detect.

Memory safe programming languages like Rust are not subject to these issue issues. The challenge is that most organizations are unwilling to expend the time and costs to port their applications.