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Why backups need protection from ransomware
Ransomware can target recovery copies that are accessible from an infected computer or compromised account, attempting to encrypt or delete them along with production files. A backup job that reports success is not proof that an unaffected, usable copy will be available when needed.
CISA’s joint #StopRansomware Guide, revised October 19, 2023, advises: “Maintain offline, encrypted backups of critical data, and regularly test the availability and integrity of backups in a disaster recovery scenario.” That combines three distinct protections: separation from routine access, encryption, and demonstrated recoverability.
Build copies that do not share the same failure path
A useful planning pattern is the 3-2-1 strategy, described by the Australian Cyber Security Centre in a CISA LockBit advisory: keep three copies of data, on two different types of media, with one copy off-site. It is a planning guide, not a guarantee or a rigid fit for every workload.
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- Easily store and access 2TB to content on the go with the Seagate Portable Drive, a USB external hard drive
- Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop
- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
Copies should not all be reachable through the same computer, administrator account, or location. A physically disconnected drive, a separately administered cloud copy, and an off-site copy reduce different risks. Geographic separation helps with fire or theft; administrative isolation helps if production credentials are compromised. Neither makes a copy infallible.
Choose a backup approach that fits your situation
| Approach | What separates it from production | Key risks and checks |
|---|---|---|
| Removable external drive | Physical disconnection between backup runs | A connected drive may be reachable from an infected host. Check capacity against the data and history you need, device compatibility, portability, and encryption options; official guidance does not prescribe a model or capacity. |
| Cloud or managed backup | Potentially separate accounts, permissions, network boundaries, retention controls, or immutable storage | Verify who can delete or change recovery points, how long they are retained, restoration speed and scale, costs, supported workloads, and the provider’s recovery process. |
These approaches can complement one another. Assess whether an attacker controlling your everyday computer or credentials could also delete every backup copy; compare isolation, tamper resistance, recovery time, retention cost, and evidence from restore tests rather than treating a device or vendor as a complete solution.
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- Easily store and access 5TB of content on the go with the Seagate portable drive, a USB external hard Drive
- Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop
- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
For home users: disconnect the external drive
CISA’s consumer advice is explicit: “Avoid leaving the external drive connected when not actively backing up your data as the connection could be used by ransomware to gain access to the drive and delete or corrupt your backups.” See How to Protect the Data that Is Stored on Your Devices.
- Connect the drive when you are ready to run a backup.
- Run the backup and confirm that it completed.
- Disconnect the drive and store it separately from the computer.
- Periodically restore a few selected files to a separate location, then open them and confirm they are the expected versions.
A disconnected drive is one recovery copy, not a full plan. For files that must also survive theft, fire, or local equipment failure, keep another copy in a separate location or suitable cloud service. Secure the cloud account and check the provider’s available account protections and recovery options.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsRank #3
- Easily store and access 1TB to content on the go with the Seagate Portable Drive, a USB external hard drive.Specific uses: Personal
- Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop. Reformatting may be required for Mac
- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
For organizations: separate backup control from production control
Start by identifying critical services, data, dependencies, and the order in which systems must be restored. That inventory helps set backup frequency and recovery priorities. CISA’s LockBit advisory recommends backup and restoration maintenance daily or weekly at minimum; this is advisory guidance, not a universal recovery-point objective. Set frequency according to how much data the organization can afford to lose.
- Keep multiple copies in physically separate, segmented, or otherwise secure locations. Consider an offline copy or cloud-to-cloud backup, and assess whether recovery needs a separate account, subscription, or provider boundary.
- Separate backup administration from everyday production administration. Apply least privilege, monitor backup activity, and require additional approval for destructive actions where supported.
- Maintain golden images and the materials needed to rebuild, such as deployment templates, software, source code or executables, and license agreements where applicable. Images may not work correctly on different hardware or platforms, so retain other practical ways to rebuild.
- Exercise incident-response and recovery plans. After an incident, identify a clean recovery point, contain the compromise, and avoid reconnecting compromised systems into the recovery environment.
Use immutability and deletion protection carefully
Some cloud backup systems offer soft delete, object-lock controls, or immutable vaults designed to protect recovery points from modification or deletion. Microsoft’s Azure Backup security best practices and Azure ransomware-resilient backup architecture guidance describe Azure-specific protections, including separate administration, multi-user authorization, and immutable vaults. These are product-specific examples, not universal cloud defaults.
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- Easily store and access 4TB of content on the go with the Seagate Portable Drive, a USB external hard drive.Specific uses: Personal
- Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop
- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
Before enabling a retention lock or immutability setting, verify supported workloads, retention behavior, costs, how changes or recovery work, and applicable compliance requirements. CISA warns that a misconfigured immutable-storage policy can create significant cost and may fail some compliance criteria. Locked settings may be difficult or impossible to reverse, so test the design and recovery process before relying on it.
Test recovery, not just backup completion
Regularly verify that backups are available and intact, then test restoration in a disaster-recovery scenario. For a home user, restoring sample files and checking that they open is a practical check. For an organization, exercises should cover the required data and systems, dependencies, restoration sequence, and the time and data-loss limits the business has set.
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Keep enough recovery history to identify a clean point: a backup can contain files that were already encrypted, corrupted, or compromised. Record test results and fix problems such as missing data, inaccessible credentials, incompatible images, or restoration that takes longer than the plan allows.
What backups can—and cannot—do
Isolation reduces the chance that ransomware reaching production can also reach a recovery copy; it does not prevent the initial compromise or, by itself, stop data theft. Multiple copies, encryption, separated access, deletion protection, and restore testing address different parts of the problem. Cloud features, supported workloads, regions, and costs can change, so confirm current provider documentation and configuration before relying on a specific control.
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