Could Your UK Business Withstand a Ransomware Attack? A Practical Guide to Testing & Defending Against Cyber Extortion
Ransomware attacks are among the most severe threats facing UK businesses today. With cybercriminals continuously evolving their tactics, it’s no longer a matter of if your business will be targeted but when. The question is: Would your business survive a ransomware attack? More importantly, do you have the right protections, processes, and response strategies in place to minimise damage and recover quickly? This guide will walk you through a real-world approach to assessing your ransomware resilience and provide practical, actionable steps to improve your defences.
Step 1: Conduct a ‘Live-Fire’ Ransomware Readiness Test
The best way to understand if your business could withstand an attack is to simulate one. This isn’t just about running basic security scans—it’s about stress-testing your actual environment under controlled conditions. Here’s how:
1. Test Your Backup & Recovery – Pick a random critical file or system and attempt a full restore. Can you recover it quickly? Are the backups protected from being encrypted by ransomware? If you don’t have immutable backups (which can’t be modified or deleted, even by an admin), your recovery plan is flawed.
2. Run a Phishing Drill – Most ransomware infections start with a phishing email. Use a realistic phishing simulationto see if your employees take the bait. If multiple employees click, you’re at high risk.
3. Isolate a Machine & Simulate Encryption – Work with your IT team to run a controlled encryption test on an isolated machine. How fast can you detect it? How long does it take for your SOC (Security Operations Centre) or IT team to respond?
4. Simulate a Domain Takeover – Attackers often disable security tools by gaining domain admin privileges. Use Red Team testing to see if an attacker could move laterally inside your network without detection.
Step 2: The Reality Check – What You Learn from the Test
After running these simulations, ask yourself:
• How long did it take to detect the ‘attack’? If it took hours or days, your detection capability is too slow.
• Could your business function without critical systems for 24–48 hours? If not, you need business continuity planningthat doesn’t rely solely on IT fixes.
• Were employees tricked by phishing? If so, you need to invest in continuous security awareness training—one-off training doesn’t work.
• Did your recovery process actually restore everything properly? Many businesses assume their backups will save them, only to find out they weren’t properly tested.
Step 3: Strengthen Your Defences—Actionable Fixes
If your test results were worrying (and for most businesses, they are), you need to make changes. Here’s what you should do right now:
1. Implement 24/7 Threat Monitoring – A Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service watches for threats in real time, meaning ransomware can be detected before it spreads.
2. Harden Your Backups – Enable immutable backups and ensure they are air-gapped (physically separated from your network). Backup encryption should prevent attackers from modifying or deleting data.
3. Upgrade to Zero Trust Security – No one inside your network should be automatically trusted. Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA), segment networks to limit damage, and restrict admin privileges to essential users only.
4. Deploy Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) – Traditional antivirus won’t stop ransomware. EDR actively monitors endpoints, detects suspicious behaviour, and automatically isolates infected machines to prevent spread.
5. Develop a Ransomware Plan – Every minute counts in an attack. Your team should have a clear, pre-approved incident response plan that includes who to contact, how to shut down affected systems, and when to notify authorities.
6. Run Regular Tabletop Exercises – Your IT and leadership teams should roleplay a ransomware attack scenario at least twice a year to ensure everyone knows their role in a crisis.
Step 4: What to Do If You’re Hit by Ransomware
Despite the best defences, ransomware attacks can still happen. If you get hit:
• DO NOT Pay the Ransom – Paying doesn’t guarantee your data back and only funds more attacks.
• Activate Your Incident Response Plan – Immediately isolate affected systems and contain the spread.
• Engage Cybersecurity Experts – A professional forensic team can assess the damage, identify the attack vector, and help recover systems.
• Check for Data Exfiltration – Many modern ransomware gangs steal your data before encrypting it. If sensitive data was leaked, you may have GDPR compliance obligations.
• Report the Attack – In the UK, report ransomware incidents to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), Action Fraud and possibly the Information Commissioners Office (ICO). Your cyber insurer may also need to be informed.
The True Cost of Inaction
Ransomware isn’t just an IT issue—it’s a business survival issue. The average UK business hit by ransomware suffers weeks of downtime, lost revenue, reputational damage, and potential legal penalties if customer data is compromised. If you haven’t tested your defences and fixed the gaps, you’re gambling with your company’s future. Take action now before cybercriminals force you to.
Want a Professional Ransomware Resilience Assessment?
At Munio, we specialise in real-world cybersecurity testing and proactive protection. If you’re serious about securing your business, contact us for a ransomware resilience audit today. Don’t wait until it’s too late.
