Ransomware attacks increased by 149% in 2025, within the U.S. alone.

Organizations have paid millions in ransom and recovery costs, making ransomware attacks one of the most financially debilitating cyberattacks. To ensure that your organization can prevent or at least successfully mitigate the effects of ransomware attacks, you must prioritize the safety of people, processes and technology equally.

With that in mind, let us first look at the risks associated with a ransomware attack, and then delve deeper into the factors to be considered and included when building a ransomware strategy.

Understanding the Risks Associated With Ransomware

Ransomware is one of the most common yet expensive cyberthreats, threatening organizations and individuals alike. In 2024, over 59% of organizations faced ransomware attacks, highlighting how important it is to be prepared.

Ransomware attacks entail infiltrating organizations by leveraging phishing emails, compromised credentials or software vulnerabilities. Such attacks can encrypt data, steal it and even lock systems. Thanks to the rising popularity of ransomware-as-a-service and AI-powered cyberattacks, malicious parties are launching targeted and sophisticated phishing attacks that are too widespread to work around.

A 6-Point Checklist for Creating a Powerful Ransomware Defense Strategy

Now that we know about the risks ransomware attacks can pose on your business, let us look at the primary things to include in your defense strategy against ransomware:

#1. Check if the Core Technical Controls Are Working

Over 63% of ransomware incidents result from the exploitation of known vulnerabilities that may already be plaguing your system. Therefore, the first step of creating a ransomware strategy is to ensure that your foundational security controls, such as antivirus software, firewalls and vulnerability management systems, are fully operational.

Conducting regular audits, reviews and penetration testing can help you verify the effectiveness of your measures and identify any gaps before your attackers.

#2. Implement Network Segmentation and Zero-Trust Principles

When you have a large IT environment, you can utilize network segmentation into smaller, more manageable isolated zones. By doing so, you can contain the spread of the ransomware inside your network, thereby reducing damage and simplifying incident response.

Implementing zero-trust architecture with stricter access controls, minimizing privileges to devices and users, can prevent any unauthorized movement in your system. Combine this with a strong security strategy in-house or investment in high-quality ransomware solutions to help prevent and mitigate sophisticated ransomware attacks.

#3. Conduct Patching and Asset Management

Patching your software and hardware vulnerabilities may seem like a simple solution, but it is one of the most effective measures you can take against ransomware. With comprehensive asset inventories and automated patch management, you can effectively ensure that no device or system is overlooked.

In fact, one of the leading causes of random ransomware attacks on organizations has long been missing patches. To ensure that your security system is always equipped to handle ransomware attacks, prioritize high-risk systems that support business functions and minimize exposure.

#4. Create a Containment and Incident Response Plan

As discussed earlier, a sound containment strategy can help companies prevent the spread of ransomware. Additionally, you must create an incident response plan that clearly defines the actions and protocols to follow in case of a ransomware attack. A typical incident response plan must contain communication protocols, roles and responsibilities and step-by-step process to follow from detection to recovery.

Based on this incident response plan, train your team and conduct simulations to be better prepared to handle ransomware attacks. To decrease the downtime and financial impact, quickly identifying and containing the infected zones is important.

#5. Designate Critical Backup Protections

Even with the most sophisticated security and prevention measures, you can never be fully prepared against a ransomware attack. Backups are your last line of defense in such an event. Follow the 3-2-1 backup strategy, which entails maintaining three copies of two media types, with at least one copy offline or offsite. By taking frequent backups, you can minimize any data loss that can result from an attack and even help you restore data easily after an attack.

#6. Have a Restoration Strategy in Case of an Attack

Even after all these measures, if your system experiences a ransomware attack that results in data loss or compromises your on-site data and functions in any way, you must use a restoration strategy. Conduct a thorough forensic analysis of the attack to ensure that there are no reinfections.

Once this is done, you must coordinate across departments such as IT, external partners and management to restore your data fully. However, by having a strategy to guide your restoration efforts, you can reduce the downtime significantly from weeks to days.

Concluding Remarks

When creating a robust ransomware strategy, you must hit the perfect balance between recovery measures and preventive measures. By taking actions such as setting up appropriate technical controls, securing backups and executing incident recovery plans, your organization can defend, mitigate risks and eliminate damage from ransomware attacks. In fact, consider cultivating a culture of awareness and readiness among your team members to be resilient against evolving cyberattacks.