Ransomware protection for businesses in Pakistan
In short: ransomware locks your files and often steals a copy first, then demands payment. It usually gets in through a stolen password, an open remote desktop, an unpatched firewall or VPN, or a phishing email. Close those doors, keep backups the attackers cannot reach, and practise recovering, and an attack becomes a bad day instead of a business-ending week.
It already happens here
Large Pakistani organisations, including a major power utility and the Federal Board of Revenue, have publicly suffered ransomware attacks in recent years. Smaller companies are hit far more often; they just do not make the news. Criminal groups scan the whole internet automatically, so being "too small to notice" is not protection.
How ransomware gets in
- Remote desktop (RDP) open to the internet, protected only by a password that is guessed or bought from a leak.
- Unpatched VPNs and firewalls. Attackers exploit known flaws within days of them being published.
- Phishing emails with a fake invoice, delivery notice or "shared document" that installs malware or steals a login.
- Stolen passwords reused from another breached site, with no MFA to stop them.
- Cracked software and infected USB drives.
After getting in, attackers usually spend days quietly raising their access, finding and deleting backups, and copying data out. Only then do they encrypt everything, often on a weekend or a public holiday.
The controls that stop most attacks
- No RDP on the internet. Use a VPN with MFA, or a secure remote access service.
- MFA everywhere it matters: email, VPN, remote access, cloud admin, backup consoles.
- Patch internet-facing systems first: firewall, VPN, email server, websites. Then laptops and servers.
- Endpoint detection and response (EDR) on laptops and servers, not just basic antivirus. EDR spots the behaviour of ransomware, such as mass file encryption, and can stop it.
- Least privilege: staff are not local administrators, and domain admin accounts are few, separate and never used for email.
- Email filtering and staff training, with a simple way to report suspicious messages.
- Monitoring: someone has to notice the warning signs during those quiet days before encryption. That is what a SOC is for.
Backups that survive ransomware
Attackers look for your backups first. If the backup server is on the same network with the same admin password, assume it will be encrypted too.
- 3-2-1-1: three copies, two types of storage, one off-site, and one offline or immutable (it cannot be changed or deleted, even by an admin, for a set period).
- Separate credentials for the backup system, protected with MFA, not joined to the main domain.
- Back up cloud data too: Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace keep deleted items only for a limited time.
- Test restores regularly, and time them. Know how many hours it takes to bring back your key systems.
Your first hour if files are encrypted
- Isolate: unplug affected machines from the network and switch off Wi-Fi. Do not power them off; memory may hold evidence and sometimes keys.
- Protect backups: disconnect backup storage immediately if it is still untouched.
- Call for help: your IT lead, your security provider, and management. Use phones, not company email, which may be watched.
- Preserve evidence: take photos of ransom notes, note times, keep logs. Do not wipe and reinstall yet.
- Report: inform the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), your bank if payments may be affected, and your insurer if you have cyber cover.
- Find the entry point before restoring. Restoring while the attacker still has access invites a second attack.
Should you pay?
Paying does not guarantee your data back, does not stop the criminals from publishing what they stole, and marks you as a company that pays. Prepared businesses rarely face the choice, because they can restore. Make that decision now, while you are calm, by investing in tested backups and the controls above.
Quick self-test
- Is RDP reachable from the internet anywhere in your company?
- Does every email and VPN account use MFA?
- When did you last restore a full server from backup, and how long did it take?
- Would anyone notice an admin account created at 2 AM on a Saturday?
If any answer is "not sure", that is where to start.
Want a second pair of eyes? FarSec checks businesses in Pakistan for exactly these gaps and helps fix them. Email [email protected] and tell us what worries you.