Ransomware Attacks – What They Look Like from the Victim’s Perspective

Managed Threat Response is especially effective against ransomware attacks. With this tool, real-world cyberattack sequences can be observed in precise detail. From the victim’s perspective, ransomware is rarely the first step – but rather the tip of the attack iceberg.

No organization wants to become a victim of cybercrime. Yet if security gaps exist, attackers are highly likely to find and exploit them – and it may take months, or even longer, before the victim notices anything amiss.

So-called incident responders help companies identify, block, and mitigate attacks and their consequences. This expert-led monitoring also enables detailed analysis of attack patterns – delivering an up-close, realistic view of how cybercrime actually impacts victims.

The Real Adversary Is Human – Not Machine

Attackers grow increasingly adept at hiding in plain sight, avoiding suspicion from security teams and remaining undetected. That’s why layered defenses are essential – designed to disrupt the attack chain at multiple points. While initial compromise is often automated, hackers subsequently repurpose legitimate IT tools – such as network scanners – for illicit ends: evading security technologies and moving laterally across the network.

The challenge for victims lies in the fact that IT security teams must remain especially vigilant when evaluating tools that are both legitimate and, precisely for that reason, popular – and frequently abused – by attackers. Moreover, adversaries routinely hijack existing administrator accounts to conceal themselves in full view. If thwarted mid-attack, they simply pivot to another tactic. Herein lies one of cybercrime’s most significant – and still widely underestimated – realities: you’re not fighting malware code. You’re fighting people.

Attackers’ thieving intentions often hinge on the sensitivity of data potentially available for “looting.” Source: iStock / Ja_Inter

Ransomware Marks the Final Stage of a Cyberattack

According to incident responders, many victims assume an attack only begins shortly before it becomes visible – such as when the ransomware notification appears. In reality, this is extremely rare. Typically, attackers have already been inside the network for an extended period.

They operate stealthily under the radar – scanning systems, installing backdoors, and exfiltrating data. All these activities serve as critical markers that must be investigated to enable full recovery post-attack.

The part of the attack that triggers the loudest alarm bells is the execution of ransomware. By this point, the attacker has successfully executed all prior steps within the victim’s network – emerging from cover to make their presence known. In other words: ransomware deployment marks the finale of an attack – not its beginning.

Both Victims and Attackers Face Immense Stress

For victims of ransomware attacks, the result is stress and overwhelm. Source: iStock / PRImageFactory

Roughly 90% of attacks observed by incident responders involve ransomware – and the consequences are often devastating.

This holds especially true for critical infrastructure organizations, such as healthcare providers, where a successful breach can mean canceled surgeries, missing X-rays, encrypted cancer-screening results, and more.

Some victims feel powerless and see paying the ransom as their only path to regaining access to backups seized by attackers. Others refuse to pay. Still others worry more about reputational damage than about decryption fees.

Ransomware itself ranges from highly professional and sophisticated to shoddy and poorly coded. Analyses show these attacks don’t just strain and intimidate victims – they also place growing “success pressure” on criminals: attackers increasingly escalate coercion against organizations that decline to pay.

Recovery Challenge: Find the Source

Incident responder data also reveals that many victims struggle to trace ransomware’s movement across their organization. There’s a common misconception that ransomware spreads automatically from its origin point in all directions – whereas in reality, it targets a preselected list of devices and network segments with surgical precision. Furthermore, attackers don’t merely aim to encrypt documents and data; they deliberately cripple devices and systems to the point where they retain just enough functionality to display the ransom note.

For victims, this means system restoration doesn’t begin with restoring a backup and then investigating what else the attackers did. Instead, recovery often starts with the daunting task of rebuilding every compromised machine from scratch – and with the equally difficult challenge of forensic identification: Where did the attack originate? And are the attackers still inside the system?

Defense Requires Both Human and Machine

Often, the security gap lies in human behavior and habits. Source: iStock / dusanpetkovic

Security cameras may record crimes – or even deter perpetrators – but they cannot stop a break-in. What matters is the live intervention of a security officer who monitors feeds and takes decisive action.

As cybercriminals operate more frequently in stealth mode – and refine their ability to abuse legitimate tools and processes – the human factor in threat hunting grows ever more valuable.

This approach combines advanced algorithms from cutting-edge security software with daily human expertise capable of interpreting the nuanced signals of an attack – a capability current software still lacks.

Key Facts

Global ransomware damages: Over €20 billion annually – and rising.

Average downtime: Companies lose an average of 22 days of productivity following a ransomware attack.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should you do first during a ransomware attack?

Immediately isolate affected systems from the network, activate your IT emergency response plan, and engage your incident response team. Under no circumstances should you hastily pay the ransom – according to the BSI (Federal Office for Information Security), doing so increases the likelihood of further attacks.

Does a backup reliably protect against ransomware?

Only if backups are stored offline or in an isolated network. Modern ransomware actively hunts for backup systems and encrypts them too. The 3-2-1 rule (3 copies, 2 media types, 1 offsite) is the absolute minimum standard.

Should you pay the ransom?

The BSI and the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) explicitly advise against it. Payment funds criminal infrastructure and does not guarantee decryption. According to Cybereason, 77% of those who paid were attacked again. Instead: file a police report and engage professional incident response services.

More from the MBF Media Network

Header Image Source: iStock / glegorly

Fact: According to the Allianz Risk Barometer 2025, cyberattacks are the top global business risk.

Fact: According to Coveware, the average ransomware attack cost $1.54 million in 2024.

TL;DR

Attackers’ thieving intentions often hinge on the sensitivity of data potentially available for “looting.”
Victims and attackers alike face immense stress For victims of ransomware attacks, the result is stress and overwhelm.
Defense requires both human and machine Often, the security gap lies in human behavior and habits.
So-called incident responders help companies identify, block, and mitigate attacks and their consequences.

Print article

About the author: Tobias Massow

Read article

ransomware