How a Biotech Firm Recovered from Ransomware with AKATI Sekurity’s Expertise
A biotech research firm was well aware of cybersecurity risks. It had firewalls, antivirus software, and data backups in place. But one morning, everything stopped. Employees couldn’t access research data. Systems were locked. A ransom note demanded payment in cryptocurrency, warning that sensitive files would be permanently lost if they didn’t comply. They were dealing with a ransomware attack—and they needed help fast.
Tracing the Attack: Identifying "Patient Zero"
AKATI Sekurity’s incident response team traced the initial point of entry ("Patient Zero") to a compromised system exploited through:
Credential dumping & brute-force attacks, allowing attackers to infiltrate high-value assets.
Privilege escalation & lateral movement, enabling unauthorized access to critical servers.
Domain administrator credential theft, giving attackers full control over infrastructure.
Indicators of compromise (IoCs) linked to threat actors operating from Turkey, based on language settings and behavioral patterns.
Targeted attacks on NAS storage, virtual environments, and backup systems, raising concerns of potential data exfiltration.
The attack had likely been in progress for weeks before it was executed, a tactic commonly used by ransomware groups to maximize damage.
The Recovery Process
AKATI Sekurity’s digital forensics team quickly got to work. The goal wasn’t just to restore operations but to understand how the attack happened and prevent it from happening again.
Immediate Containment – Infected systems were isolated to prevent further encryption and data loss.
Threat Analysis – Investigators traced the attack to compromised VPN credentials, likely obtained through brute-force attacks.
Data Restoration – By leveraging backups and custom decryption techniques, AKATI Sekurity helped the firm recover most of its critical research data without paying the ransom.
Security Hardening – The company’s security was overhauled with stronger access controls, network segmentation, and real-time monitoring.
In less than a week, core operations were restored—a timeline that could have stretched into months if the firm had been unprepared.
Lessons Learned from the Attack
Cyberattacks like these are becoming more frequent, and the biotech sector is a prime target due to the high value of intellectual property. Here’s what organizations can learn from this incident:
Unpatched systems are high-risk – Attackers often exploit outdated software and weak remote access security. Regular penetration testing is critical.
Ransomware thrives on weak access controls – Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and strong password policies can prevent unauthorized logins.
Incident response planning matters – Fast action helped this company avoid costly downtime. Having an incident response retainer service makes a difference.
Cybersecurity as a Competitive Advantage
After the attack, the biotech firm changed its approach to security. Regular network penetration testing, real-time threat monitoring, and security awareness training are now part of its operations. For any company, the question isn’t if an attack will happen—it’s when. Businesses that invest in threat prevention Malaysia services are better positioned to recover without major disruptions.
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