Make it harder for ransomware to get in, spread, and stop your business, and prove you can recover. Independent testing by CISA-certified auditors, scoped to your environment.
Ransomware rarely relies on one failure. Attackers usually get in through a phishing email, a stolen password, or an exposed remote access service, move across a flat network, and then encrypt systems after making sure backups cannot save you. Stopping it means closing gaps at each of those steps, and knowing that you can recover if something still gets through.
We test each stage an attacker relies on, from the first phishing email to the final restore, and give you a prioritized plan ordered so the changes that reduce your risk the most come first.
Each step depends on the one before it. Break any of the first four and the attack stalls before a single file is encrypted.
Each service closes one step in the chain above. Most organizations start with the step they are least sure of, usually recovery, and add the rest as budget allows.
A backup that completes is not a backup that restores. We verify that backups are isolated, immutable, and protected by retention lock, test recovery, and review your incident response plan, so you know you can recover.
Ransomware readiness auditMany attacks start with a person. Phishing simulations, vishing, and pretexting show how your staff respond to the techniques attackers use to get in, and where training is needed.
Social engineering assessmentStolen credentials and account takeover are a common path to ransomware. We review Entra ID, conditional access, and email security to close the gaps attackers use to get in.
Microsoft 365 security auditA black box test of your perimeter the way an attacker would approach it, including VPN gateways and remote access services such as RDP and SSH, where many attacks begin.
Penetration testOnce inside, ransomware spreads across flat networks. We review firewalls, segmentation, VPN, and wireless so a single compromised system cannot reach everything else.
Network security auditA clinic, a manufacturer, and a law firm are attacked in different ways and need different recovery times. We do not sell a fixed package. We start with your most likely attack paths and how long you can afford to be down, test what you actually run, and deliver a plan ordered by impact.
We focus testing on the ways ransomware is most likely to reach you: email, identity, remote access, and the network behind them.
Recovery is tested and timed, so you know how long a restore actually takes rather than how long the backup console says it should.
Findings are tied to NIST CSF and the #StopRansomware guidance, so the same report also helps with insurer questions about backups and MFA.
Ransomware succeeds when several small gaps line up: an employee who clicks, an account without multi-factor authentication, a network with no internal barriers, and backups an attacker can reach. Our role is to test each of those layers independently and give you a prioritized plan to close them. Our ransomware readiness audit focuses on the last line of defense, recovery, and the other services cover how attackers get in and spread.
We start with the step you are least sure of. If that is the first, a phishing campaign and a review of your Microsoft 365 sign-in settings show how easily an attacker gets a foothold. If it is the fourth, we confirm your backups are out of an attacker’s reach and restore a sample of systems, timed against how long you can afford to be down. Each finding is risk-rated and mapped to NIST CSF and the #StopRansomware guidance, and if your insurer or board wants it in writing, an Auditor Opinion Letter states the result. Our support continues for three months after delivery.
Most organizations begin with one engagement and build from there. Find the situation closest to yours:
Not sure? A free consultation will help you decide.
Altius IT has performed independent security audits for over 30 years. We are auditors with no products or vendor partnerships, so our recommendations target your real gaps rather than a tool to sell. We tailor every engagement to your environment, your attack paths, and your recovery needs.
The ransomware readiness audit focuses on recovery: whether your backups are isolated and immutable and whether you can actually restore. Reducing ransomware risk also means testing how attackers get in and spread, through phishing, stolen credentials, exposed remote access, and flat networks. This page brings those services together.
No. Backups decide whether an attack is an outage or a disaster, but many attacks also involve stealing data before encrypting it, and a restore does not undo that. Prevention and detection matter as much as recovery.
Start where your exposure is largest. For many organizations that is recovery, because a ransomware readiness audit shows whether you could survive an attack at all. If you are already confident in your backups, start with phishing and Microsoft 365, two of the most common ways in. A free consultation will help you decide.
Every engagement is customized. Explore other common needs, or see what we recommend for your industry.
