// 01 //BACKUPS HIT
First
Attackers target your backups before they encrypt.
Modern crews hunt and destroy reachable backups so you have no choice but to pay. Immutable, isolated backups are what survive the attack.
DISASTER RESILIENCE // RANSOMWARE PREPAREDNESS
Be ready to say no
Be ready to say no
to the ransom.
Paying is a position of weakness — and no guarantee. WatchUr6 builds veteran-led ransomware preparedness: immutable backups, network segmentation, and a tested recovery playbook that turns an extinction event into a recoverable incident.
// THE RANSOM TRAP
The time to prepare is before the screen goes red.
By the time the ransom note appears, your options are already set. Three reasons preparedness is what decides whether you pay.
// 02 //DOUBLE HIT
Double
Extortion now steals your data, then encrypts it.
Even perfect backups don't stop a data-leak threat. Preparedness has to prevent the exfiltration, not just recover from the encryption.
// 03 //NO GUARANTEE
Pay ≠ Fixed
Paying rarely restores everything — and marks you.
Decryptors fail, partial data returns, and payment flags you as a target that pays. Tested recovery is the only reliable path back.
// WHAT YOU GET
The resilience to recover, not pay.
Not a single backup and a prayer. Layered defenses and a tested recovery capability that make the ransom an option you never need.
// 01
Immutable Backup Strategy
Backups the attacker cannot reach, alter, or delete — and restores that are actually tested, so recovery works under pressure, not just on paper.
- Immutable, isolated or air-gapped backup design
- Tested restores against realistic recovery objectives
- Backups separated from the production attack surface
IMMUTABLE · ISOLATE · RESTORE
// 02
Segmentation & Blast-Radius Control
Break the flat network that lets ransomware spread from one foothold to everything — so a compromise stays contained instead of company-wide.
- Network segmentation that isolates crown-jewel systems
- Hardened access to backups and domain controllers
- Exfiltration monitoring to counter double extortion
SEGMENT · ISOLATE · CONTAIN
// 03
Ransomware Playbook & Drills
A specific, rehearsed playbook for the moment the screen goes red — who decides, who recovers, who notifies, and in what order.
- Ransomware-specific response playbook and runbooks
- Defined decision authority and escalation paths
- Drills that prove the plan works before it's needed
PLAYBOOK · DRILL · DECIDE
// 04
Recovery Objectives & Insurance Fit
Honest RTO and RPO targets per system, a recovery capability that meets them, and documentation that satisfies your cyber-insurer.
- Realistic RTO and RPO set per critical system
- Recovery capability built to actually meet them
- Controls mapped to cyber-insurance requirements
RTO · RPO · INSURE
// HOW IT WORKS
Harden, isolate, rehearse, recover.
A structured engagement that builds the layers between you and a forced ransom payment — and proves they work.
01
Assess the Gaps
We review your backups, segmentation, and recovery readiness against how real ransomware operates — and set honest RTO and RPO targets.
02
Harden & Isolate
Immutable backups stood up, the network segmented, and access to backups and crown-jewel systems locked down.
03
Build the Playbook
A ransomware-specific response plan with clear decision authority, then a drill that proves the team can execute it.
04
Test the Recovery
Restores run end to end against your objectives, so you know recovery works — and you can say no to the ransom.
// OPERATIONAL HERITAGE
From planning for the worst case
so the mission continued even when systems were lost
to building the resilience that lets your business recover without paying.
// THE FULL PROGRAM
One layer in a resilient operation.
Ransomware readiness is strongest alongside the rest of the program. Explore the connected disaster-resilience services.
// FREQUENTLY ASKED
The questions buyers ask first.
Don't we just need good backups to survive ransomware?
Backups are necessary but not sufficient. Modern ransomware crews specifically hunt for and destroy reachable backups before they detonate, and many organizations find their backups were on the same network the attacker compromised.
Real preparedness means immutable, isolated backups the attacker can't touch, tested restores that work under pressure, and segmentation that limits how far the ransomware spreads in the first place.
What is double extortion, and why does it change our strategy?
Double extortion means attackers steal your data before encrypting it, then threaten to publish it if you don't pay — so even perfect backups don't make the threat go away.
It shifts the problem from availability to confidentiality, so preparedness has to prevent the exfiltration: segmentation, monitoring for large outbound transfers, and limiting what any single compromised account can reach.
Should we plan to pay the ransom if it happens?
The goal of preparedness is to make paying an option you never need. Payment carries legal and sanctions risk, no guarantee of working decryption, and marks you as a paying target.
With immutable backups, tested restores, and a rehearsed recovery plan, you can credibly choose not to pay — the cheaper and safer position. We build toward the ability to say no with confidence.
How does network segmentation help against ransomware?
Ransomware does the most damage on a flat network, encrypting everything it reaches from a single foothold. Segmentation breaks the environment into zones so a compromise in one area can't automatically spread to your crown-jewel systems, backups, and domain controllers.
It's one of the highest-leverage controls for limiting blast radius — turning a company-wide event into a contained one.
What are RTO and RPO, and why do they matter here?
Recovery Time Objective is how long you can afford to be down; Recovery Point Objective is how much data you can afford to lose. Preparedness is meaningless without honest answers to both — they drive backup frequency, restore speed, and prioritization.
We help you set realistic objectives per system and build a recovery capability that can actually meet them, rather than discovering the gap mid-crisis.
Will this help with our cyber-insurance requirements?
Yes. Cyber-insurers increasingly require specific ransomware controls — immutable backups, MFA, segmentation, EDR, and a tested incident response plan — as a condition of coverage or favorable premiums.
The preparedness work maps directly to those requirements and produces the documentation underwriters ask for. Beyond satisfying the policy, it reduces the chance you ever file a claim.
// THE NEXT MOVE
Earn the right to say no.
Book a 30-minute strategy call. Bring your backup and recovery setup; you'll walk away with a tactical read on whether you could recover from ransomware without paying — whether you hire us or not.
- A clear read on whether your backups would survive an attack
- Where ransomware could spread across your network today
- How your recovery objectives compare to reality
- Written follow-up — no pressure, no auto-enrollment