Sample Submission Terms

These terms apply when you submit a file to the SecuritySnares ransomware sample test service (the “Service”) at /submit-a-sample. By submitting a file, you agree to these terms and to our Website Terms of Use. If these terms conflict with the Website Terms of Use, these terms control for the Service. Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle the personal information you provide.

1. Who May Use the Service

The Service is for security professionals and organizations evaluating ransomware defenses. A work email address is required. We rate-limit submissions and may refuse, remove, or stop analyzing any submission, or end anyone’s access to the Service, at our discretion.

2. How the Service Works (Methodology)

• Upload. You submit the sample as a ZIP archive protected with the password infected. Your browser uploads it directly to isolated storage over a single-use, write-only link.
• Qualification run. We run the sample in a disposable Windows virtual machine with no network access and no RansomSnare protection, and record whether it encrypts the test files (“canaries”) we place on the machine. If it does not, the result is No encryption observed and no further run takes place.
• Protected run. If the sample encrypts canaries in the qualification run, we run it again in a fresh virtual machine with RansomSnare installed in blocking mode. The result is Caught if RansomSnare blocks it before meaningful encryption, or Not caught if it encrypts canaries despite RansomSnare.
• Scope. The Service tests file encryption only. It does not test data exfiltration, persistence, lateral movement, or other behavior. Results record the versions of the test environment and RansomSnare used.

The thresholds and test environment may change over time to improve accuracy. Results always reflect the method in use when the sample was tested.

3. Your Responsibilities

By submitting a file, you confirm that:

• you are authorized to possess and share the file for automated analysis, and submitting it does not violate any law or any obligation you owe to a third party;
• you are responsible for anything embedded in the file. If it contains personal data, credentials, or material belonging to someone else, you confirm you have the right to submit it. We handle samples as hostile code and do not inspect their contents for such material; and
• you will not use the Service to attack, disrupt, or probe SecuritySnares systems or any third party.

4. Permanent Retention

Submitted samples and our analysis results are kept indefinitely. We do not delete samples on request, because results must remain reproducible. Do not submit a file you are not permitted to share. You grant SecuritySnares a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, analyze, and execute the file in isolated environments, and to use the file and results to improve our products and support our threat research.

5. Results Are Not Private

A result is tied to the file’s SHA-256 hash, not to you. Anyone who submits or looks up the same file may see its result, including the verdict, canary counts, and the versions used, and we may publish results. We never publish your name, email address, company, or IP address with a result.

6. Submitter Information

We keep the name, work email address, company, and IP address you submit with, to prevent abuse and to contact you about your result. See our Privacy Policy for details.

7. No Warranty

A result describes what happened in our test environment. It is not a guarantee of how the sample behaves elsewhere, and No encryption observed is never a statement that a file is safe. THE SERVICE AND ALL RESULTS ARE PROVIDED “AS IS,” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. The disclaimers and limitation of liability in our Website Terms of Use apply to the Service.

8. Disputes

If you believe a result is wrong, email info@securitysnares.com with the sample’s SHA-256. We will re-check the result against our methodology and respond.

9. Changes

When these terms change, they get a new version identifier. The version you accept is recorded with your submission. This is version 2026-10-10.