Ransomware Defense Validation

Test Your Ransomware Defenses Before Attackers Do

Safe, controlled ransomware simulations that test your detection capabilities, response procedures, and recovery processes. Know exactly how your organization would perform against a real ransomware attack—without the devastating consequences.

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Safe Simulation
MITRE ATT&CK Aligned
Detection Validation
The Reality

Why Ransomware

Ransomware attacks have become the most disruptive cyber threat. Organizations that test their defenses recover faster and reduce impact when attacked.

€4.5M
average ransomware recovery cost
23 days
average downtime after attack
80%
of victims attacked again
68%
detection gap in first hours
The Challenge

Ransomware Readiness Challenges Organizations Face

Most organizations believe they're prepared for ransomware—until an attack proves otherwise. These challenges leave you vulnerable.

Untested Detection

You've deployed EDR, SIEM, and security tools, but have you verified they actually detect ransomware behaviors? Most organizations haven't.

Detection

Slow Response Times

Ransomware can encrypt thousands of files per minute. If your team takes hours to respond, the damage is already done.

Response

Unverified Backups

Backups exist, but can you actually restore from them? Many organizations discover backup failures during the worst possible moment.

Recovery

Paper Plans

Your incident response plan looks great on paper, but has it ever been tested under pressure? Untested plans fail when you need them most.

Planning

Team Readiness

When ransomware strikes, does your team know exactly what to do? Panic and confusion cost precious time and make bad decisions worse.

People

Regulatory Pressure

NIS2, DORA, and cyber insurance all demand proof of ransomware resilience. "We think we're ready" isn't evidence.

Compliance

Unknown Attack Surface

Where would ransomware spread in your network? Understanding lateral movement paths is critical but rarely mapped.

Architecture

Privilege Escalation Gaps

Ransomware operators seek domain admin. Can they get it in your environment? Most organizations don't know.

Access Control

Security Control Bypass

Modern ransomware includes techniques to disable security tools. Are your controls resilient against tampering?

Evasion
Your Advantage

Benefits of Ransomware

Know exactly how your organization would perform against ransomware—and improve before a real attack.

Validate Detection Capabilities

Know exactly which ransomware behaviors your security stack detects—and which slip through.

For Security Teams

Test EDR, SIEM, and endpoint controls against real ransomware TTPs

For Executives

Confidence that security investments actually work

Measure Response Times

Understand how quickly your team can detect, contain, and respond to ransomware activity.

For Security Teams

Identify bottlenecks in detection-to-containment workflow

For Executives

Quantified response metrics for board reporting

Test Recovery Procedures

Verify your backup and restore processes work under realistic conditions.

For Security Teams

Validate RTO/RPO in realistic scenarios

For Executives

Confidence in business continuity capabilities

Train Your Team

Build muscle memory for ransomware response through realistic exercises.

For Security Teams

Hands-on experience with ransomware incident handling

For Executives

Prepared workforce that responds effectively under pressure

Map Attack Paths

Understand how ransomware would spread in your environment and where to focus defenses.

For Security Teams

Lateral movement and privilege escalation visibility

For Executives

Strategic investment in highest-impact security controls

Compliance Evidence

Demonstrate ransomware resilience to regulators, auditors, and cyber insurers.

For Security Teams

Documentation of controls and response capabilities

For Executives

Reduced insurance premiums and regulatory confidence

Testing Services

Comprehensive Testing Categories

From controlled technical simulations to full-scale crisis exercises, we offer multiple ways to validate your ransomware readiness.

Ransomware Attack Simulation

Safe, controlled simulation of ransomware attack techniques in your production or test environment. We execute real ransomware TTPs without actual encryption or damage.

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Initial access simulation (phishing, exploitation)
Lateral movement testing
Privilege escalation attempts
Data exfiltration simulation
Encryption behavior simulation (safe)
Security control evasion testing
Our Methodology

Ransomware Simulation

Our systematic approach ensures comprehensive ransomware readiness validation while maintaining safety and control throughout.

01
1-2 days

Scoping & Planning

Define simulation scope, objectives, and safety boundaries. Identify critical systems, establish communication protocols, and obtain necessary approvals.

Kickoff meeting Asset identification Scope definition Rules of engagement Timeline planning
02
1-2 days

Threat Intelligence

Research ransomware groups targeting your industry. Select relevant TTPs based on MITRE ATT&CK framework and real-world threat intelligence.

Kickoff meeting Asset identification Scope definition Rules of engagement Timeline planning
03
1-2 days

Safe Simulation

Execute ransomware behaviors safely in your environment. Test initial access, lateral movement, privilege escalation, and (simulated) encryption activities.

Kickoff meeting Asset identification Scope definition Rules of engagement Timeline planning
04
1-2 days

Detection Analysis

Analyze which behaviors were detected, which were missed, and where gaps exist. Map results to your security stack and processes.

Kickoff meeting Asset identification Scope definition Rules of engagement Timeline planning
05
1-2 days

Response Evaluation

Assess incident response execution—timing, decisions, communications, and containment actions. Identify process improvements.

Kickoff meeting Asset identification Scope definition Rules of engagement Timeline planning
06
1-2 days

Reporting & Roadmap

Deliver comprehensive findings with prioritized recommendations. Provide detection rules, playbook updates, and improvement roadmap.

Kickoff meeting Asset identification Scope definition Rules of engagement Timeline planning
What You Receive

Comprehensive Deliverables

Every engagement produces actionable outputs to improve your ransomware resilience.

Executive Summary

Board-ready overview of ransomware readiness with risk ratings and strategic recommendations.

  • Readiness score
  • Key gaps
  • Recommendations

Attack Narrative

Step-by-step account of how the simulated attack progressed through your environment.

  • Attack timeline
  • Techniques used
  • Impact analysis

Detection Gap Analysis

Detailed mapping of which ransomware behaviors were detected vs missed by your security stack.

  • MITRE coverage
  • Detection rates
  • Visibility gaps

Response Timeline

Measurement of detection, containment, and response times with benchmark comparisons.

  • Time metrics
  • Bottleneck analysis
  • Improvement areas

Detection Rules

Custom SIEM queries, YARA rules, and EDR policies to detect the TTPs tested.

  • SIGMA rules
  • YARA signatures
  • EDR policies

Playbook Updates

Recommended updates to your ransomware response playbook based on exercise findings.

  • Procedure updates
  • Decision trees
  • Contact lists

Control Recommendations

Prioritized technical controls to improve ransomware prevention and detection.

  • Quick wins
  • Medium-term
  • Strategic

Recovery Assessment

Evaluation of backup and recovery capabilities with improvement recommendations.

  • RTO/RPO validation
  • Backup gaps
  • Recovery plan

Improvement Roadmap

Prioritized action plan with quick wins, medium-term improvements, and strategic initiatives.

  • 30/60/90 day plan
  • Resource requirements
  • Success metrics
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Platform Screenshot

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Platform Interface

See the Platform in Action

Monitor the ransomware simulation as it unfolds through our Red Team Cockpit. See every technique, detection, and response in real-time.

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Common Questions

Frequently asked questions

Absolutely safe. We simulate ransomware behaviors without actual encryption. Our tools execute the same techniques real ransomware uses—file enumeration, lateral movement, privilege escalation—but stop before any destructive action. You get the detection validation without the damage.
Yes, with appropriate safeguards. We can conduct simulations in production, staging, or dedicated test environments depending on your risk tolerance. Production testing provides the most realistic results, but we establish strict safety boundaries and can pause or abort at any time.
We simulate techniques used by major ransomware groups including LockBit, BlackCat/ALPHV, Royal, Cl0p, and others. We select techniques based on threat intelligence about which groups target your industry, ensuring relevance to your actual threat landscape.
Penetration testing focuses on finding vulnerabilities. Ransomware simulation focuses on detection and response validation. We assume initial access and test whether your security stack detects ransomware behaviors, whether your team responds effectively, and whether you can recover.
That's exactly what we're testing for! Finding detection gaps in a controlled simulation is far better than discovering them during a real attack. We provide specific recommendations and detection rules to close the gaps we identify.
Yes, we can integrate IR plan testing into the simulation. You can choose whether your team knows when the simulation will occur (announced) or run it unannounced to test real-world response. Either approach provides valuable insights.
Technical simulations typically run 3-5 days of active testing, plus planning and reporting time. Tabletop exercises are 2-4 hours. Full ransomware readiness assessments take 2-3 weeks. We can scope engagements to match your timeline and objectives.
Depends on simulation type. For detection validation, we need endpoints with your security tools installed. For full simulation, we may need network access similar to an attacker post-compromise. We work with you to define appropriate access levels.
Absolutely. Many cyber insurers now require evidence of ransomware resilience testing. Our reports document your detection capabilities, response procedures, and backup validation—exactly what insurers want to see.
We can start with a Ransomware Readiness Assessment to evaluate your current state before running simulations. This gives you a baseline and prioritized improvements. You don't need to be mature to start—you need to start to become mature.

"We thought we were ready for ransomware—EDR deployed, backups in place, IR plan documented. The simulation revealed our EDR only caught 40% of the techniques, our backup restoration took 3x longer than expected, and our team didn't know the escalation path. Six months later, we tested again and scored 85%. When we were actually attacked, we contained it in 4 hours."

SD

Director of Security Operations

European FinTech

Ransomware Defense Experts

Our team combines offensive security expertise with incident response experience from real ransomware cases

OSCP GPEN GCIH CRTO GREM OSEP

Test Your Ransomware Defenses Before Attackers Do

Discover gaps in your ransomware detection and response before they're exploited. Our safe simulations reveal exactly where you're vulnerable—and how to fix it.

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