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Ransomware readiness: a 10-point checklist for leadership teams
Ransomware is a business continuity problem, not only an IT problem. Use these ten questions to test how prepared your organisation really is.
Ransomware attacks encrypt systems, steal data and halt operations — sometimes for weeks. The organisations that recover fastest are rarely the ones with the biggest budgets. They are the ones that prepared.
Use this checklist in your next leadership or board meeting. If you cannot answer “yes” with confidence, it is a priority.
Prevent
- Is multi-factor authentication enforced for email, remote access and every administrator account? Stolen passwords remain one of the most common ways in.
- Are internet-facing systems patched quickly? VPNs, firewalls and remote access gateways are frequent targets.
- Do staff know how to spot and report phishing? Regular awareness training and simulations reduce successful attacks.
- Is privileged access tightly controlled? Limiting administrator rights slows attackers down and limits damage. A Zero Trust approach helps.
Detect
- Would we notice an attacker inside our network? Endpoint and network detection and response tools catch the activity that comes before encryption.
- Is someone watching alerts outside office hours? Many attacks are timed for nights, weekends and public holidays.
Respond and recover
- Do we have offline or immutable backups — and have we tested restoring them? Untested backups are a hope, not a plan.
- Is there a written incident response plan that names who decides, who communicates, and who calls whom?
- Do we know which experts we will call? Agreeing an incident response partner in advance saves critical hours.
- Have we rehearsed? A tabletop exercise with leadership reveals gaps long before a real attack does.
Where to start
If several answers are “no” or “not sure”, begin with a security assessment. It shows where you are most exposed, so you can fix the highest risks first.
Cyber Sentinel Lab helps organisations across the UAE, GCC and Europe prepare for, detect and recover from ransomware. Contact us — and if you are dealing with an active incident, call or WhatsApp our team immediately.