Interactive Ransomware Resilience Assessment

Critical controls include: email security filtering (blocks 90%+ delivery), endpoint detection and response, application whitelisting, regular patching, network segmentation, privileged access management, multi-factor authentication, user training, and secure RDP configuration. Defense-in-depth approach layers controls so attackers must defeat multiple protections. Focus on preventing initial access and lateral movement.

Follow 3-2-1-1 rule: 3 copies of data, 2 different media types, 1 offsite, 1 offline/immutable. Implement air-gapped or immutable backups that ransomware cannot encrypt. Test restoration regularly (quarterly minimum). Maintain versioned backups to recover pre-encryption data. Backup critical systems first. Document recovery procedures. Consider continuous data protection for critical assets. Backups are last line of defense.

Early detection is crucial—aim for detection within minutes to hours, before widespread encryption. Implement 24/7 monitoring for ransomware indicators: unusual file access patterns, suspicious encryption activity, shadow copy deletion, backup system tampering, and lateral movement. EDR and SIEM tools with ransomware-specific detection rules enable rapid response. Average detection time is improving but still exceeds 24 hours for many organizations.

Plan should cover: decision tree for containment actions, communication protocols (internal and external), system isolation procedures, backup verification steps, law enforcement notification process, ransom payment decision framework, recovery prioritization, and public relations strategy. Pre-establish relationships with incident response firms, legal counsel, and cyber insurance. Conduct tabletop exercises quarterly to test plan effectiveness.

Payment is strongly discouraged—it funds criminal operations, provides no guarantee of decryption, and marks you as willing payer for future attacks. Only 57% who pay receive all data back. Many attackers sell data anyway. FBI and CISA recommend against payment. However, some organizations in crisis situations pay as last resort. Decision requires legal counsel, insurance input, and executive approval.

According to Sophos 2024 research, average recovery time is 22 days for organizations that use backups, 28 days overall. Some organizations take months for full restoration. Time depends on backup readiness, attack scope, system complexity, and restoration testing. Organizations with tested recovery plans restore 60-80% faster. Critical systems should be restorable within 24-72 hours to minimize business impact.

Conduct quarterly backup restoration tests (verify data integrity and RTO). Run ransomware attack simulations and tabletop exercises biannually. Perform penetration testing focusing on ransomware attack paths. Test incident response procedures under stress. Validate immutable backup isolation. Measure detection capabilities with adversary simulation tools. Document lessons learned and update controls. Testing reveals gaps before real attacks occur.