Ransomware Recovery

Overview

Ransomware attacks have become one of the most significant threats to businesses worldwide, with South African organizations increasingly targeted. Soteria Cloud's ransomware recovery solution, built on Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud, provides comprehensive protection through behavioral detection, automated isolation, and rapid recovery capabilities. By combining advanced security with immutable backups hosted in Teraco's Johannesburg and Cape Town data centers, organizations can detect ransomware attacks early, contain the damage, and recover operations within hours—not days or weeks.

The Ransomware Challenge

Modern ransomware attacks are sophisticated and devastating:

Encryption Speed - Ransomware can encrypt thousands of files per minute, causing widespread damage quickly
Lateral Movement - Attackers move through networks, encrypting servers, workstations, and backups
Data Exfiltration - Double extortion: attackers steal data before encryption and threaten to publish it
Backup Targeting - Ransomware specifically seeks and destroys backup files to prevent recovery
Downtime Costs - Average ransomware downtime exceeds 21 days, costing businesses millions in lost revenue

Soteria Cloud's Ransomware Defense

1. Prevention & Detection

Behavioral Analysis - AI-powered detection identifies ransomware behavior patterns before encryption begins
Exploit Prevention - Blocks exploitation techniques used to deliver ransomware
URL Filtering - Prevents access to malicious websites distributing ransomware
Email Security - Blocks phishing emails and malicious attachments that deliver ransomware
Vulnerability Assessment - Identifies and patches security weaknesses exploited by ransomware

2. Containment & Response

Automated Isolation - When ransomware is detected, infected endpoints are automatically isolated from the network
Process Termination - Malicious processes are killed immediately to stop encryption
Forensic Investigation - EDR tools provide detailed attack timelines and root cause analysis
Alert Notifications - Security teams receive immediate alerts with actionable intelligence

3. Recovery

Immutable Backups - Backups stored in Teraco data centers cannot be encrypted or deleted by ransomware
Point-in-Time Recovery - Restore systems to clean state immediately before encryption occurred
Automated Recovery - One-click recovery restores affected files automatically
Instant Restore - Boot critical servers from cloud backups within minutes while full recovery completes
Granular Recovery - Restore individual files, folders, or entire systems as needed

How Ransomware Recovery Works

Phase 1: Detection (Minutes)

Acronis behavioral detection identifies suspicious file encryption activity
Alert is generated and sent to administrators
Automated response begins immediately

Phase 2: Containment (Minutes)

Infected endpoint is isolated from network to prevent lateral movement
Ransomware process is terminated
Affected files are cataloged for recovery

Phase 3: Investigation (Hours)

EDR forensics identify attack vector and scope
Security team determines which systems were compromised
Clean backup points are identified

Phase 4: Recovery (Hours)

Critical systems are restored from immutable backups
Instant restore enables immediate operation of key servers
Full recovery completes in background
Systems are validated and returned to production

Phase 5: Remediation (Days)

Vulnerabilities exploited by ransomware are patched
Security policies are strengthened
Incident report is generated for stakeholders and insurers

Real-World Scenario

Attack Timeline:

Day 1, 02:00 - Phishing email delivers ransomware to employee workstation
Day 1, 02:15 - Ransomware begins encrypting local files; Acronis detects abnormal behavior
Day 1, 02:16 - Automated response isolates workstation and terminates ransomware process
Day 1, 02:17 - Alert sent to security team; 47 files encrypted before containment
Day 1, 08:00 - Security team reviews incident; confirms no lateral movement occurred
Day 1, 08:30 - Automated recovery restores 47 encrypted files from last night's backup
Day 1, 09:00 - Workstation returned to user; vulnerability patched; total downtime: 7 hours

Without Soteria Cloud Protection:

Ransomware spreads undetected for hours or days
Hundreds of systems encrypted including servers and backups
Business operations halt completely
Recovery takes weeks; ransom payment considered
Total cost: millions in downtime, ransom, and recovery

Key Benefits

Rapid Recovery - Restore operations in hours, not weeks
No Ransom Payment - Reliable backups eliminate need to pay attackers
Data Sovereignty - Backups remain in South African Teraco data centers
Cyber Insurance Compliance - Meet insurer requirements for ransomware protection
Business Continuity - Minimize revenue loss and reputational damage
Forensic Evidence - Detailed attack data supports incident response and legal action

Best Practices

Maintain frequent backups (hourly or daily) to minimize data loss
Test ransomware recovery procedures regularly
Enable behavioral detection and automated response
Implement email security to block ransomware delivery
Keep systems patched to close ransomware entry points
Train employees to recognize phishing attempts
Maintain offline or immutable backup copies

Compliance & Insurance

Soteria Cloud's ransomware protection helps meet requirements for:

Cyber Insurance - Insurers increasingly require EDR, tested backups, and incident response capabilities
POPIA - Demonstrate data protection measures and breach response procedures
ISO 27001 - Information security controls including backup and incident response
Board Reporting - Provide executives with confidence in ransomware resilience