When ransomware hits, the call usually comes early in the morning or late at night. Someone tried to log in and found a ransom note instead of their files. Production is stopped. Customer records are inaccessible. The business is paralyzed.
NHM Ohio has helped companies throughout Stark, Summit, and surrounding counties recover from ransomware attacks. Each incident is different, but patterns emerge. The same mistakes appear again and again, and the same preparations make the difference between recovery and disaster.
This article shares what we have learned so that your business can benefit from others' painful experiences. The details have been changed to protect client confidentiality, but the lessons are real.
Case Study: A Local Manufacturing Shop
A precision manufacturing company with about 40 employees discovered ransomware on a Monday morning. All Windows systems displayed ransom demands. CNC programming files, customer specifications, quoting databases, and accounting records were encrypted. Production stopped completely.
What Went Wrong
The attack started with a phishing email that appeared to come from one of their largest customers. An office employee clicked a link and entered credentials on a fake login page. Those stolen credentials gave attackers access to the company's network.
From there, attackers spent several days mapping the network, identifying critical systems, and disabling security tools. They attacked over the weekend when no one was watching.
The company had backups, but they were stored on a network-attached drive. Attackers encrypted the backups along with everything else.
The Recovery
Fortunately, this company had implemented proper offline backups that attackers could not access. Instead of paying the ransom, they were able to restore 100% of their data with nothing missing.
Recovery took about a week, including system restoration and verification that all files were intact and uncorrupted. While the downtime was still disruptive, they avoided the ransom payment and the uncertainty that comes with decryption tools from criminals.
Their total recovery costs were limited to forensic investigation, emergency IT support, and lost production during downtime—around $10,000 total. We worked tirelessly until it was done, ensuring their systems were fully restored and secure.
What They Did Right and What They Added
The company's good backup strategy saved them from paying ransom, but they realized they could have prevented the attack entirely. After recovery, they added these additional protections:
- Multi-factor authentication on all remote access
- Email filtering that blocks sophisticated phishing attempts
- Network monitoring that would have detected attackers during their reconnaissance phase
- Employee training on phishing recognition and suspicious activity
- Endpoint detection software to stop ransomware before it encrypts files
The company survived with minimal financial damage thanks to their backups, but the owner told us he would gladly spend more on prevention to avoid the stress and disruption of the attack entirely.
Case Study: A Medical Practice
A specialty medical practice with three locations discovered ransomware on patient records and scheduling systems. Beyond operational disruption, they faced HIPAA notification requirements for the thousands of patients whose protected health information was potentially exposed.
What Went Wrong
The attack came through a vendor's remote support tool. The vendor had been compromised, and attackers used the vendor's legitimate access to deploy ransomware across all their clients.
The practice had no control over the vendor's security but was fully responsible for the consequences.
The Recovery
Because this practice had implemented proper backups with offline copies, they could restore without paying the ransom. Recovery took about a week, much faster than if they had relied on decryption.
However, they still faced significant costs: forensic investigation to determine what data was accessed, legal guidance on HIPAA notification requirements, and the notification process itself for affected patients. The reputational damage from notification letters is still ongoing.
What They Changed
After recovery, the practice implemented:
- Vendor security assessments before granting any third-party access
- Contractual security requirements for vendors with system access
- Network segmentation so a compromised vendor cannot reach everything
- More frequent backup testing to ensure continued recovery capability
- Improved monitoring to detect unusual activity from vendor accounts
They also switched to a different remote support vendor after the original vendor could not demonstrate improved security practices.
Case Study: A Professional Services Firm
An accounting and financial services firm discovered ransomware during their busiest season. Client financial records, tax documents, and working files were all encrypted. They could not access the data needed to serve clients during critical deadlines.
What Went Wrong
An employee received a phone call from someone claiming to be tech support. The caller convinced the employee to install remote access software to "fix a problem." That software gave attackers direct access to the employee's workstation and, from there, to network resources.
This was not a technical failure. It was a social engineering attack that bypassed all technical controls by tricking a human.
The Recovery
This firm had good backups, including offline copies, and was able to restore without paying ransom. Recovery took about a week, much faster than if they had relied on decryption.
However, recovery during their busiest season meant extended hours, delayed client work, and significant stress on staff.
The attack also raised questions with clients about data security. Several clients requested assurance that their information had not been compromised. One client ended the relationship entirely.
What They Changed
Technical changes included:
- Blocking unauthorized remote access tools at the network level
- Implementing a policy that all remote support happens only through approved channels
- Adding endpoint monitoring that detects suspicious remote access activity
More importantly, they invested heavily in employee training focused on social engineering and phone-based attacks. They established a policy that no one installs software based on an incoming phone call, ever, without verification through known channels.
Common Patterns Across All Incidents
Every ransomware case is different in details, but the patterns are remarkably consistent.
How Attackers Get In
The three most common entry points we see:
- Phishing emails that steal credentials or install malware
- Compromised vendors with legitimate access to client systems
- Social engineering that tricks employees into granting access
Technical vulnerabilities like unpatched software are less common initial entry points than many people assume. Attackers prefer the path of least resistance, and tricking humans is usually easier than finding and exploiting software bugs.
What Makes Recovery Possible
The single factor that most determines recovery outcome is backup quality.
Businesses with proper backups, including offline copies that attackers cannot encrypt, can restore without paying ransoms. Recovery is still disruptive and expensive, but it is manageable.
Businesses without usable backups face terrible choices: pay ransoms with no guarantee of recovery, or rebuild everything from scratch losing potentially irreplaceable data.
What Makes Recovery Harder
Several factors consistently complicate recovery:
- Backups that were not tested and turn out to be incomplete or corrupted
- Lack of documentation about system configurations, requiring everything to be figured out during the crisis
- No incident response plan, meaning precious hours are lost deciding what to do
- Key knowledge held only in one person's head, causing delays if that person is unavailable
The Hidden Costs Nobody Talks About
Beyond direct recovery costs, ransomware incidents create ongoing burdens:
- Employee stress and overtime during extended recovery
- Customer relationship damage requiring time and effort to repair
- Increased scrutiny from customers, partners, and regulators
- Higher cyber insurance premiums after a claim
- Leadership time diverted from business growth to crisis management
Businesses that say they "recovered quickly" from ransomware often undercount these ongoing costs.
Prevention Costs a Fraction of Recovery
We track costs across the ransomware incidents we handle. Here is what the numbers show:
Average total cost of a ransomware incident for a small business: $120,000 to $200,000+
Average annual cost of comprehensive cybersecurity protection that would prevent most incidents: $3,000 to $10,000 depending on size and complexity
The math is straightforward. Prevention costs less than 5% of what recovery costs. And prevention does not come with the stress, disruption, and ongoing damage that incidents cause.
What Your Business Should Do Now
Based on our experience recovering businesses from ransomware, here are the priorities that matter most:
Fix Your Backups First
If you do nothing else, ensure you have offline backups that will survive a ransomware attack. Test them regularly. Know exactly how long recovery takes and plan accordingly.
Implement Multi-Factor Authentication
MFA stops the majority of credential-based attacks. Enable it everywhere possible, prioritizing email, remote access, and financial systems.
Train Your People
Technical controls matter, but every incident we handle involved a human somewhere in the attack chain. Regular training on phishing, social engineering, and suspicious activity makes employees part of your defense rather than your weakness.
Know Your Vendors' Security
If vendors have access to your systems, their security becomes your problem. Assess vendor security before granting access. Include security requirements in contracts.
Have a Plan
Know who you will call and what you will do if ransomware hits tomorrow. Document the plan. Review it periodically. Update it when things change.
How NHM Ohio Helps
We provide complete ransomware protection for businesses throughout Northeast Ohio:
Prevention Services
- Managed endpoint protection that detects and blocks ransomware
- Email security that stops phishing before it reaches employees
- Backup solutions with offline copies and verified recovery
- Security awareness training and phishing simulations
- Network monitoring for suspicious activity
Incident Response
When prevention fails, we respond quickly to:
- Contain active threats and prevent further spread
- Assess damage and determine recovery options
- Restore systems from backup without paying ransoms when possible
- Investigate how the attack happened
- Implement improvements to prevent recurrence
Ongoing Protection
Cybersecurity is not a project with an end date. We provide ongoing managed services that maintain your defenses as threats evolve, without requiring you to hire dedicated security staff.
Learn From Others' Mistakes
The businesses described in this article learned expensive lessons. Their mistakes are now their protections. But you do not have to learn these lessons the hard way.
NHM Ohio helps businesses in Canton, Akron, Massillon, Alliance, and throughout Stark, Summit, and surrounding counties implement ransomware protection before incidents happen. Prevention is always cheaper, faster, and less stressful than recovery.
Contact us today for a security assessment. We will evaluate your current ransomware readiness and recommend improvements based on what we have learned from real incidents.
The best time to prepare for ransomware was before attackers targeted you. The second best time is now.
NHM Ohio provides managed IT services, cybersecurity solutions, and incident response for businesses throughout Northeast Ohio. Visit nhmohio.com or call to discuss how we can help protect your business from ransomware.