Lion Cipher Lab
Defend against ransomware: the habits that actually work
- Cyber / Security Engineer
- Beginner
- ~35 min
- Free · no account required
Why it matters
Ransomware is the attack most likely to actually ruin an individual's or a small organisation's week: it encrypts your files and demands payment for the key. The hard truth that shapes everything about defending against it is that once your files are encrypted, there is usually no technical way to decrypt them without the attacker's key — so the entire game is played before the attack lands. The good news is that the defences are not exotic: national cybersecurity agencies (CISA, NCSC) and NIST publish the same short list every time — tested offline backups, fast patching, least privilege,…
What you'll learn
- the 3-2-1 backup rule and why offline/tested backups beat everything
- prioritising patching as ransomware defence
- least privilege / not daily-driving admin
- recognising phishing as the top delivery route
- MFA on remote access
- knowing the first moves if you are hit
Steps in this lab
- The one truth that shapes every ransomware defence
- Backups are the whole game: 3-2-1, offline, and tested
- Patch fast — unpatched software is an open door
- Don't daily-drive an admin account (least privilege)
- Phishing is the front door — treat email and macros with suspicion
- Turn on MFA, and lock down remote access
- Have a plan for 'what if we're hit'
- Why the boring habits are the strongest defence