A Customer’s Cyberattack Journey
In today’s interconnected world, businesses across industries are grappling with the ever-present threat of cyberattacks. One of our customers—a mid-sized company in the legal sector—recently learned firsthand that even traditional safeguards like an air gap aren’t always the silver bullet they’re often touted to be. Their experience underscores the importance of a multi-layered approach to cybersecurity.
The Cyberattack: A Perfect Storm
The customer operated with what they believed was a strong security measure: an air-gapped backup system. This meant their critical data backups were isolated from the network, ostensibly to prevent unauthorized access during a cyber incident. Despite these precautions, the company fell victim to a ransomware attack.
The attack began with a phishing email that bypassed their filters and tricked an employee into downloading malicious software. The malware quickly infiltrated the network, encrypting core systems and halting production. As the attackers demanded an exorbitant ransom, the customer turned to their air-gapped backups, confident they could restore operations without giving in.
When the Air Gap Backfired
To their dismay, the air-gapped system presented unforeseen challenges:
- Time-Consuming Recovery
Unlike modern automated disaster recovery solutions, the air-gapped backups required manual retrieval and retore. This introduced significant delays when every minute counted. - Incomplete Backups
The backups were not as current as anticipated. The company’s reliance on periodic manual updates left gaps in the data, leading to a loss of critical information from recent days. - Limited Scalability
The process of accessing and restoring large datasets proved cumbersome and inefficient. The downtime extended far longer than it would have with a more integrated solution. - The BIG Issue
While the backup tapes were air gapped, the restore platform, in order to backup the network, is not air gapped. So the infection also encrypted their restore system leaving them with no way to even read a backup tape.
What was intended as a safety net, ended up compounding their challenges, illustrating that an air gap—while useful—cannot be the sole defense against modern cyber threats.
How We Helped: Turning the Tide
Our team quickly stepped in to assess the situation and support their recovery:
- Data Restoration
We helped retrieve what we could from their air-gapped backups and supplemented it with additional data recovery tools to minimize the impact. - Proactive Measures
Post-recovery, we made suggestions about how to implement a more robust, real-time backup and disaster recovery system. This included:- Immutable backups that cannot be altered or deleted, even if the network is compromised.
- Automated snapshots for near-instant restoration capabilities.
- Enhanced monitoring and training to prevent future incidents.
- The protection of the restore system and tapes by migrating them to the cloud to halt the encryption in its tracks.
Lessons Learned
This incident highlights critical takeaways for all businesses:
- Air Gaps Alone Aren’t Enough
While air-gapped systems can provide an extra layer of security, they’re not immune to human error, being hacked themselves, or operational inefficiencies. - Modern Threats Require Modern Solutions
Attackers are evolving, and so should defenses. Real-time, automated backups and recovery solutions can significantly reduce downtime and data loss – use the cloud. - Preparedness is Key
A comprehensive cybersecurity strategy includes proactive measures like employee training, network monitoring, and regular penetration testing.
Looking Ahead
Our customer is now better equipped to handle cyber threats, having learned the hard way that no single solution is foolproof. Their story serves as a reminder that cybersecurity is a dynamic challenge requiring constant vigilance and adaptation.
If your business is relying on outdated methods or hasn’t revisited its disaster recovery plan in years, now is the time to act. Get your tapes lifted to the cloud along with the restore platform, and give yourself the best chance of recovery in the shortest possible time.
