Customer: SaaS Company
Partner: Jetsweep, AWS
Elastio Solution: AWS Backup, Data Recovery, Data Integrity
Challenge:
- A SaaS company suffered a devastating fileless ransomware attack, which encrypted critical business data and halted company operations.
- Traditional endpoint protection and cloud security failed to detect the attack and compromised data was copied into backups, making recovery uncertain.
Solution:
- JetSweep brought in Elastio, which enables rapid, automated backup scanning for ransomware encryption.
- Elastio identified a clean recovery point in minutes and restored operations with minimal data loss.
Challenge: A Stealthy Ransomware Attack Threatens Business Survival
On a Saturday morning, JetSweep, an AWS consulting partner, received an urgent call from AWS. A SaaS company had fallen victim to a ransomware group, leaving its operations at a standstill.
Investigation revealed that the attackers had gained access through an unpatched firewall, which JetSweep immediately patched to prevent further access. But the real challenge emerged when the company tried to restore from backups.
The attackers had used a sophisticated tactic: fileless ransomware which encrypted data without detection by hiding the decryption key in memory. The company had been operating normally, unaware that ransomware was already stealthily encrypting the data over time. Even with a leading endpoint protection platform in place, the attack had gone undetected. The corrupted data had been replicated into backups, leaving the company without a clear recovery path.
Solution: Rapid, Automated Backup Scanning and Recovery with Elastio
To eliminate the manual, time-consuming “hunt and peck” method of verifying backups, JetSweep leveraged the Elastio Ransomware Recovery Assurance Platform (Elastio Platform), which:
- Scanned all backups for ransomware encryption, pinpointing the last known clean recovery point.
- Detected encryption and ransomware payloads that had evaded traditional endpoint protection and cloud security solutions.
- Enabled fast, confident recovery by identifying a known-known backup within hours of deployment, eliminating weeks of ‘hunting and pecking’.
“Elastio allowed us to see almost immediately which backups were clean. That saved us days—possibly weeks—of trial and error.”
— Jeff Fudge, Director of Cloud Solutions, JetSweep
Key Benefits: Faster Recovery, Reduced Data Loss, and Resilience Against Future Attacks
- Significant Time Savings: Elastio Platform automated scanning identified a clean backup in hours, preventing weeks of manual effort.
- Minimized Data Loss: Elastio Platform identified that the most recent clean backup was 10 days old—had the attackers been in the system longer, recovery might not have been possible.
- Risk Reduction: Elastio Platform’s agentless scanning ensured no reinfection after restoration.
- Enhanced Detection & Prevention: Elastio Platform’s ongoing backup monitoring enables early ransomware detection, stopping ransomware before it spreads.
Impact: Restored Operations and Strengthened Cyber Resilience
Thanks to Elastio Platform, the SaaS company quickly restored services, avoiding customer churn, SLA penalties, and reputational damage. More importantly, they implemented proactive backup scanning, ensuring they could detect future ransomware before they could disrupt business operations.
Instead of reacting to a breach after damage is done, Elastio Platform provides early ransomware detection and faster recovery, keeping businesses secure, even against advanced ransomware threats.
“For a SaaS company, long-term downtime is the kiss of death. If you can’t meet your SLAs, it can be an extinction-level event.”
— Jeff Fudge, Director of Cloud Solutions, JetSweep
Disclaimer
Details have been anonymized to protect the privacy and security of the affected organization. However, the core facts and recovery strategy remain unchanged to preserve the integrity of the lessons learned.
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About Elastio
Elastio is a pioneer in Ransomware Recovery Assurance, offering advanced solutions to protect critical business data from sophisticated ransomware threats. Powered by its AI-driven RansomwareIQ engine, Elastio validates data integrity by detecting hidden ransomware across cloud and on-premises environments with 99.999% accuracy. Elastio integrates effortlessly into existing workflows, providing multi-cloud and multi-backup protection, while its compliance-ready reporting supports adherence to regulations like NYDFS and DORA. Elastio empowers organizations to minimize downtime, recover swiftly, and confidently combat modern ransomware threats by prioritizing data integrity and operational resilience.
