How The Ransomware Stole Christmas
The holidays are traditionally a time for joy, family, and hopefully a well-earned break. But while most of us are getting ready to get into the holiday spirit, there’s another, much less festive figure lurking in the shadows: ransomware.
This malicious software can sneak into your systems and ruin your holiday cheer faster than you can say “Merry Christmas.” Organisations, especially those with smaller or skeleton crews during the holidays, are often prime targets.
Why? Because attackers know staffing levels are lower, security systems may be less monitored, and IT teams may not be on high alert, making it the perfect time to strike.
The holidays are traditionally a time for joy, family, and hopefully a well-earned break. But while most of us are getting ready to get into the holiday spirit, there’s another, much less festive figure lurking in the shadows: ransomware.
This malicious software can sneak into your systems and ruin your holiday cheer faster than you can say “Merry Christmas.” Organisations, especially those with smaller or skeleton crews during the holidays, are often prime targets.
Why? Because attackers know staffing levels are lower, security systems may be less monitored, and IT teams may not be on high alert, making it the perfect time to strike.
So, how can you ensure that the Grinch of the cyber world doesn’t steal your Christmas cheer—or worse, backup data? Read this short blog to find out!
Your Backups Are the North Star of Defence
With 96% of ransomware attacks targeting backups, if there's one thing you need to remember this holiday season, protecting those backups is absolutely critical.
In practical terms, for complete peace of mind, you need two essential features: immutability and zero access to root.
Immutability ensures that once your data is written to a backup repository, it cannot be altered or deleted. It means that however deep an attacker gets into your system—even into the backup repository itself—they can't corrupt or encrypt your backup files. So if the worst comes to the worst, you have a reliable point from which to restore.
Zero access to root means no one (even an attacker with stolen credentials) can gain administrative control over your backup systems. With root access, attackers can perform actions that render even immutable backups useless. But with zero access, your backups remain locked down and secure.
These two elements are like sturdy locks on your front door. They keep unwanted guests out and let you concentrate on what matters—not only during holiday time but all year round.
Enjoy Worry-Free Holidays with Ootbi by Object First
Imagine you're enjoying festive family time when, suddenly, an alert pops up on your phone. You quickly check it out. It's a notification warning you of unusual activity in your backup software.
It looks like a ransomware attempt was detected. While you'll still need to investigate and contain the attack, you can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that your critical data is safe and recoverable.
What's best? You can easily achieve this piece of mind with ransomware-proof Ootbi (Out-of-the-Box Immutability) by Object First.
Ootbi is built on the latest Zero Trust Data Resilience principles and delivers S3 native immutable object storage designed and optimised for unbeatable Veeam backup and recovery performance.
In the end, while the Grinch’s heart grew three sizes and the tale ended in joy and redemption, ransomware never has a truly happy ending.
Request a live Ootbi demo and ensure that your holiday season remains filled with happiness, not worry!