How to Prevent Ransomware Attacks?

Do you want to know how to prevent ransomware attacks? Read our guide on ransomware attack prevention as we cover tips, techniques, and even how to identify and mitigate these threats.

Ransomware is a type of malware that cybercriminals use to steal data and hold it hostage. They will only release this data after receiving a substantial payment. Your personal info, financial data, and intellectual property data can be vulnerable and be at their mercy.

The WannaCry outbreak in 2017 showed us what modern ransomware is capable of. Since then, dozens of ransomware variants have popped up and been used for launching a variety of large-scale attacks worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic also sped up the spread of ransomware and remote work adoption has increased gaps in cyber defenses.

Cyber criminals are taking full advantage of these situations which means that ransomware attacks are not going to stop.  The average financial losses amount to USD 4.35 million per incident.  As of May 2025, the FBI reported 900 cases that were impacted by the Play ransomware group. In this guide, we are going to break down the different types of ransomware. We'll tell you how ransomware attacks work and how to prevent them.

Why Ransomware Prevention Is Essential?

Ransomware protection needs to be a board-level discussion for every organization. It’s not just about losing money or preventing reputational losses. There’s a lot at stake for everyone who gets involved or held hostage by cyber criminals due to their data being hijacked, stolen, and locked out. You can’t keep your business running if you’re scrambling to figure out who got in and what happened.

Your customers want an answer and ransomware attacks can impact your company’s future operations. It also leaves a signal to other cyber criminals that your business is an easy target, which means you will be more prone to other cyber attacks. There are legal regulations and compliance laws that impose serious penalties and heavy fines if you don’t mitigate ransomware threats. Paying the ransom will also not guarantee any recovery, remember that. Because cyber criminals will not always keep their word, preventing ransomware is important. So, before you reach that point, the best step to take is prevent it. Ransomware prevention is essential so that you don’t let your data fall into the wrong hands nor let them get past defenses before they can reach that point.

How Ransomware Attacks Work?

Ransomware can secretly encrypt your files and infect systems once it enters. It's software that can take unauthorized access to your files,resources, and infrastructure. All your assets get held hostage in the process by the person who controls the malware.

If you are dealing with file encryption, you can't unencrypt or view your files until you pay the ransom to the attacker. They will have hands on your encryption password. If you're dealing with doxware and leakware, you will have a high chance of getting your sensitive information published online if you don't pay the ransom.

Hackers will also ask for proof of payments and settlements after you pay the ransom. You'll have to send them money over crypto or Western Union transfers and forward receipts and confirmation messages.  Some attackers may pose as government officials or U.S. law enforcement to check if you did the transfers. They may say they are shutting down your computer because of software piracy or because of having identified adult content (which is a lie) and will demand a fine to close the case.

Common Entry Points for Ransomware

Ransomware has multiple entry points, depending on where your attacker is located. It can happen from inside or outside the organization.

Here is a list of some of the most common ransomware entry points you need to be aware of:

• Phishing emails - Hackers craft phishing schemes and send them via emails, DMs, websites, and social media posts to lure/bait victims, to get them to open and view their attachments. They can force them to reveal sensitive credentials in the process.
• Compromised credentials - If your sensitive credentials have been leaked before, there is a high chance that someone has already sold them on the dark web. Compromised credentials can be reused over and over across multiple accounts, platforms, and services, especially if you have the same login and password on all of them.
• Third-party and supply chain attacks - Hackers can use managed service providers (MSPs) and software suppliers to gain trusted access to multiple downstream clients and their networks. They can misconfigure APIs and compromise software updates which can serve as potential ransomware entry points.
• Removable Media - Your USB drives and physical storage can get infected as well! Hackers can bypass your network security defenses by planting malware in them and insert these devices to connect to computer systems. They can install malicious files on your local systems and networks in the process.
• Malvertising and Malicious Websites - Hackers can make fake websites that look just as identical as the originals and bait you. They can infect these websites with malicious ads which users may unknowingly click on, thus infecting their systems.

Warning Signs of a Ransomware Infection

There are many signs in your organization that will tell you if you've been recently infected by ransomware. Here are the most common ones:

• Your file extensions suddenly change; you may notice files being encrypted into different file system directories.
• You'll notice a sudden spike in remote network file shares. Ransomware scans may be disabled and your software won't send regular alerts.
• Your backups can get deleted, including shadow copies. All your system event logs get cleared up. Any business-critical data will get automatically encrypted without your consent or permission.
• You'll find a ransom note lying around in your system somewhere. The attacker will leave their contact details and tell you how to get them to release your data once you pay up the ransom.

How to Prevent Ransomware Attacks: Best Practices

If you need a quick ransomware prevention checklist, then this would be it. Here are some ways you can prevent ransomware attacks. These are the best enterprise ransomware prevention best practices:

1. Using Multiple Detection Techniques

Use multiple detection methods (signature, behavior-based, and traffic) and don't be limited to just one threat detection technique. Adopt multi-layered protection and behavioral analysis to catch novel ransomware strains. It’s one of the best practices to prevent ransomware and will make up a good part of your security strategy.

2. Attract Targets with Honeypots

You should use deception technologies like honeypots to attract targets. These can help you find early detection signals, encrypt decoy files, and trick the malware or adversary into revealing themselves. It’s also one of our top ransomware prevention tips because it works!

3. Use EDR Solutions

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solutions can be used to analyze endpoint behaviors, command-line activities, and process chains. Attackers may sometimes modify tools like Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) and PowerShell, so monitoring unusual tool usage with a good EDR solution is key to detecting ransomware threats early.

4. Analyze Abnormal File Access Patterns

Track unusual file access attempts, especially on critical data repositories. Use file integrity monitoring tools to detect unexpected modifications. Set up alerts for detecting suspicious bulk file operations that could tell you if there are any potential unauthorized encryption activities taking place.

5. Train Your Employees

Train your employees to be aware of the latest social engineering and ransomware schemes. They should know what to do when they engage potential adversaries. Educate them to not reveal sensitive information and always verify the recipient they are speaking to online.

6. Implement Robust Backup Strategies

Maintain offline, immutable backups separate from your main network infrastructure. Test recovery procedures regularly to ensure backups aren't compromised. Keep multiple backup versions to restore from a clean state if needed.

7. Segment Your Network

Isolate critical systems and sensitive data from general network traffic. Use microsegmentation to limit lateral movement if attackers breach one system. This reduces ransomware spread and contains threats to specific zones.

8. Enforce Strong Access Controls

Require multi-factor authentication across all systems and administrative accounts. Apply the principle of least privilege—grant users only necessary permissions. Regularly audit access logs and revoke outdated credentials promptly.

9. Update Software and Patch Systems

Deploy security patches immediately after release to close vulnerability gaps. Maintain an inventory of all software and track patch status. Prioritize critical infrastructure and frequently targeted applications in patching cycles.

10. Disable Unnecessary Services

Turn off unused protocols and services that expand your attack surface. Remove legacy tools and features no longer required by operations. Document what's running and why to prevent unauthorized services from creeping in. Do an inventory of inactive and dormant accounts in your organization as well.

11. Establish an Incident Response Plan

Create a documented playbook for ransomware incidents before they occur. Define roles, communication channels, and decision trees for response steps. Conduct regular tabletop exercises to ensure your team executes the plan effectively.

How SentinelOne Helps Prevent Ransomware Attacks?

SentinelOne has AI-powered security tools and unifies defenses, provides unprecedented speeds, and offers infinite scalability. You can stop threats before they start with the world's leading autonomous and advanced AI-powered protection.

Secure your cloud, endpoints, and identities with AI-powered protection, 24/7 threat hunting, and managed services. Singularity™ Endpoint offers autonomous endpoint protection, while Purple AI can unlock your security team's full potential with the latest insights. Singularity™ AI SIEM enhances data security and SentinelOne proved its defenses in the MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Evaluation 2024.

SentinelOne offers the world's most trusted CNAPP solution in the market to fight against malware, zero-days, and ransomware attacks. Its agentless CNAPP solution can manage cloud entitlements. It can tighten permissions and prevent secrets leakage. You can detect up to 750+ different types of secrets. Cloud Detection and Response (CDR) provides full forensic telemetry. You also get incident response from experts and it comes with a pre-built and customizable detection library. SentinelOne’s CNAPP can help you adhere to the latest compliance regulatory frameworks like ISO 27001, SOC 2, NIST, and many others.

SentinelOne's static AI engine can scan files before execution and identify patterns of malicious intent. It can classify benign files too. Its behavioral AI engine can track relationships in real-time and guard against exploits and fileless malware attacks. There are engines that can do holistic root cause and blast radius analysis. The Application Control Engine can ensure container image security. STAR Rules Engine is a rules-based engine which enables users to transform queries of cloud workload telemetry into automated threat hunting rules. SentinelOne Cloud Threat Intelligence Engine is a rules-based reputation engine which uses signatures to detect known malware.

Prompt Security by SentinelOne can fight against shadow AI usage and prevent denial of wallet and service attacks. You can defend against prompt injection attacks, unauthorized agentic AI actions, and defend against AI malware and malicious prompts. It ensures AI compliance and provides model-agnostic coverage for all major LLM providers like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google.

Conclusion

A good security solution can scan your environments, track user behaviors, and ensure that ransomware attacks don't creep in until it's too late. Start implementing a zero-trust security strategy and work on moving beyond legacy-based detections. SentinelOne is here to help you on your journey. You can reach out to our team to prevent ransomware attacks and get further assistance.

FAQs

What is ransomware prevention and why is it important?

Ransomware prevention stops attackers from encrypting your files and holding your data for ransom. When ransomware infects your systems, it locks your files and demands payment to restore them. Prevention protects your business from downtime, financial loss, and data theft. Organizations without prevention strategies face costly recovery efforts and reputational damage. You can avoid these problems by deploying security tools, training employees, and maintaining backups.

What are the best practices to prevent ransomware?

You should maintain regular backups stored in secure off-site locations where attackers can't access them. Keep all systems and software updated with the latest security patches. Use multi-factor authentication to protect critical accounts. Train employees to identify phishing emails and suspicious downloads. Monitor your network for unusual activity and unauthorized access attempts. Implement email filtering to block malicious attachments. Deploy anti-malware solutions and endpoint protection tools. 

What does an enterprise ransomware prevention strategy include?

An enterprise strategy covers multiple layers of defense. You need endpoint protection on all devices and network monitoring to catch threats early. Deploy email security gateways and web filters to block malicious content. Implement access controls so employees only access data they need. Create incident response plans so your team knows what to do if attacked. Conduct regular security audits to find vulnerabilities before attackers do. Include employee training and backup testing in your strategy.

What should be on a ransomware prevention checklist?

Your checklist should include regular software updates and security patches across all systems. Verify that multi-factor authentication is enabled for all critical accounts. Test your backup and recovery procedures regularly to ensure they work. Deploy endpoint protection and anti-malware solutions on every device. Conduct employee training on phishing and social engineering tactics. Set up network monitoring and log analysis to detect suspicious activity. Review access permissions and remove unnecessary user privileges. Document all security controls and verify they're working as intended.

How can employee training help in preventing ransomware?

Employees are often the first target of ransomware attacks through phishing emails and malicious downloads. When you train employees to identify these threats, they become your strongest defense. They learn to spot suspicious attachments, verify sender addresses, and avoid clicking unknown links. Trained employees report threats to your security team instead of opening them. Organizations with regular training programs see fewer successful ransomware incidents. You should conduct training quarterly or monthly for best results. Employee awareness combined with technical controls stops most attacks.

Can regular data backups help in ransomware prevention?

Backups don't prevent ransomware attacks, but they allow you to recover without paying ransom. When ransomware encrypts your files, you can restore them from backups instead. You should test your backup procedures regularly to make sure they actually work. Store backups in secure off-site locations where ransomware can't reach them. Keep multiple backup copies so you have options if one fails. If an attack happens, verified backups let your organization recover quickly and resume operations.

What tools help enterprises strengthen ransomware prevention?

SentinelOne's Singularity XDR platform detects and blocks ransomware before it spreads. Email security gateways filter malicious attachments and links. Endpoint detection and response tools monitor devices for suspicious activity. Network monitoring solutions identify unusual traffic patterns that signal an attack. Anti-malware and anti-ransomware software runs on all systems. Password managers and multi-factor authentication tools protect credentials. You can use SIEM solutions to analyze logs and find threats. Combining these tools creates multiple barriers that stop ransomware attacks.