[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":58},["ShallowReactive",2],{"glossary:ransomware":3},{"term":4,"published":49,"modified":49,"mentions":50,"related":57},{"slug":5,"title":6,"lede":7,"blocks":8,"faqs":33},"ransomware","Ransomware","Ransomware encrypts your data (and increasingly steals it first) to extort payment. Most attacks start with a phishing email or a stolen credential, days before encryption.",[9,12,15,21,23,25,27,29,31],{"t":10,"text":11},"p","Ransomware is malware that encrypts an organization''s data (and increasingly steals it first) to extort a payment for restoring access and withholding a leak. It is among the most disruptive cyberattacks, but its defining lesson is that the encryption is the last step: the attack almost always begins somewhere cheaper to stop, usually a phishing email or a stolen credential.",{"t":13,"text":14},"h2","Key facts",{"t":16,"items":17},"ul",[18,19,20],"Most ransomware intrusions begin with phishing, stolen credentials or exploited vulnerabilities, days or weeks before any file is encrypted.","Double extortion is now standard: data is stolen before encryption, so backups alone do not remove the leak threat.","The ransomware-as-a-service model industrialized it, letting non-experts run attacks.",{"t":13,"text":22},"The attack chain",{"t":10,"text":24},"Initial access (phishing, stolen credentials, unpatched systems), then reconnaissance and lateral movement, privilege escalation, data theft, and finally encryption and the ransom demand. The long middle is the point: defenders have many days to detect and disrupt before encryption, and the earliest, cheapest interception is at initial access, overwhelmingly email. See also zero-day attacks and account takeover for the two other main entry routes.",{"t":13,"text":26},"How to defend",{"t":10,"text":28},"Prioritize the entry points: email security against the phishing that starts most chains, phishing-resistant MFA so stolen credentials are not enough, and fast patching. Then limit blast radius: network segmentation, least privilege, and monitoring for the lateral movement and account-takeover behavior that precede encryption. Finally, resilience: offline, tested backups and a rehearsed incident plan, because the worst case must be survivable without paying.",{"t":13,"text":30},"How Sentaro helps",{"t":10,"text":32},"Sentaro guards the most common front door: the phishing and credential-theft emails that begin most ransomware intrusions, and the account-takeover behavior that follows. Stopping the initial-access email is the cheapest possible place to break the chain, weeks before encryption would occur.",[34,37,40,43,46],{"q":35,"a":36},"What is ransomware in simple terms?","Malware that locks your data by encrypting it, and often steals a copy first, then demands payment to restore access and not leak the stolen data.",{"q":38,"a":39},"How does ransomware get in?","Most commonly through phishing emails, stolen or reused credentials, and unpatched internet-facing systems. The encryption happens later, after the attacker has moved through the network.",{"q":41,"a":42},"Should we pay the ransom?","Law enforcement generally advises against it: payment funds the ecosystem, guarantees nothing, and may raise legal issues. Tested backups and an incident plan are the reliable alternative.",{"q":44,"a":45},"What is double extortion?","Stealing data before encrypting it, so attackers can threaten to leak it even if you restore from backups, adding pressure to pay.",{"q":47,"a":48},"How do we prevent ransomware?","Stop the entry points first: email security, phishing-resistant MFA and patching, then segmentation, least privilege, monitoring, and tested offline backups for resilience.","2026-09-08",[51,52,53,54,55,56],"account-takeover","business-email-compromise","phishing","ransomware-as-a-service","secure-email-gateway","zero-day-attacks",[54,55,56],1789658070848]