The Ransomware Readiness Assessment evaluates your organization’s ability to prevent, detect, and recover from a ransomware attack. Exploit Technology simulates the tactics used by modern ransomware groups to identify weaknesses in your defenses, segmentation, backups, and incident response procedures. The goal is to uncover vulnerabilities before real adversaries do, strengthen defensive layers, and ensure recovery processes can withstand a real-world attack.

This assessment focuses on identifying potential entry points and lateral movement opportunities within your environment, analyzing privileged account exposure, and evaluating endpoint and detection capabilities. We also validate the integrity of your backup systems and recovery processes, measuring readiness against current ransomware threats. The final outcome is a prioritized, actionable roadmap designed to enhance organizational resilience and response efficiency.

Testing encompasses both internal and external network segments, critical servers such as Active Directory and file shares, backup systems, and email or remote access gateways. Endpoint protection tools and response mechanisms are also evaluated to ensure comprehensive coverage. Backup infrastructure and recovery validation are included to confirm that restoration objectives (RTO/RPO) can be met in a crisis scenario.

All simulations are non-destructive and performed under full client authorization. No live encryption or service disruption occurs during testing. Activities are restricted to agreed-upon systems and scheduled time windows to prevent operational impact. If an active compromise or critical exposure is discovered, Exploit Technology immediately notifies the client. All evidence and findings are securely handled, transmitted, and retained in accordance with the engagement agreement.

Our approach follows MITRE ATT&CK, the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, and CISA’s ransomware guidance. We perform reconnaissance and simulated initial access (phishing, exposed RDP, known exploits), then test privilege escalation and lateral movement to map attack paths. Next we model impact without executing destructive payloads, assess detection and response effectiveness (EDR/SIEM), and validate backup integrity and restore capability.

At the conclusion of testing, you receive an executive report summarizing key findings across the ransomware kill chain, along with a technical appendix detailing vulnerabilities, evidence, and validated weaknesses. A resilience maturity score and heat map visualize risk exposure across the environment. Each report includes a clear, prioritized remediation plan and the option for a post-remediation retest to confirm improvements.

Small environments typically require five to seven days of testing, while larger enterprises may take two to three weeks depending on complexity. Optional services include ransomware tabletop exercises for leadership teams and development of a customized incident response runbook aligned with your operational needs.

Ransomware remains the leading cause of business downtime and data loss worldwide. Demonstrating ransomware readiness not only strengthens your defensive posture but also satisfies security testing requirements for frameworks such as PCI DSS, HIPAA, and SOC 2. More importantly, it reduces potential recovery time, limits regulatory exposure, and reinforces stakeholder confidence in your organization’s ability to withstand cyberattacks.