The organisation was a London-headquartered media and broadcasting company established in the mid-2000s. It operated as an international television and entertainment network, distributing scheduled programming and original content across multiple regions. Its operations relied heavily on digital media assets stored on internal systems and shared drives, and a specialised team of editors, producers, and technical staff depended on constant access to this data to meet broadcast deadlines.

One of my first experiences with a ransomware attack was back in 2016. We were providing IT support services to an international television network and recommended that antivirus software be installed on every computer. Unfortunately, the company did not see this as necessary and was unwilling to justify the cost. Within one to two weeks of our engagement, a staff member opened a malicious email containing ransomware. The organisation had hundreds of terabytes of recorded television programs, including parts of their electronic programme guide (EPG). Once the ransomware was executed, all files were encrypted, rendering the programme information unreadable. This effectively brought the business to a halt, as broadcasts could not proceed, and proper backups were not in place.

The priority was containment. We had to identify the machine responsible, which was connected to shared drives containing multiple folders on the server. Once the infected computer was located, it was isolated to prevent further encryption and limit additional damage.

We analysed network activity and IP addresses to trace the source of the attack. With no reliable backups, understanding which systems were compromised and which files were encrypted became critical to the recovery plan.

The business was down for three days due to insufficient antivirus coverage across the platform. During this period, critical operations were halted, significantly impacting staff who could not perform their regular duties. This disruption contributed to tens of thousands of pounds in losses. While it's unclear whether formal penalties were applied by the broadcasting organisation, incidents like this can seriously harm a company's commercial reputation. Being unable to broadcast programs on schedule undermines confidence with partners and audiences alike. Overall, the estimated cost to the business was at least £20,000 to £30,000.

The greatest pain was the inability to broadcast content due to inaccessible data. This type of disruption, often referred to as a "slow burn," carries lasting consequences beyond immediate recovery. A slow burn after a cyber-attack includes prolonged reputational damage, potential customer churn, and loss of trust from partners and stakeholders. These hidden effects can extend well beyond the initial incident and have long-term commercial repercussions.

Post-recovery, the recommended steps focused on proactive security monitoring. A solution like Uncloak would have been especially helpful, as it allows organisations to verify antivirus coverage and identify vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. This reinforces the principle that prevention is far more effective than remediation in cybersecurity.

In this scenario, paying the ransom was necessary. The amount was relatively small at the time, and failing to pay would have resulted in a daily increase. With no complete backups, this was the fastest and only practical way to regain access to critical data.

Ensure comprehensive antivirus coverage across all systems, maintain regular and tested backups, implement proactive security monitoring solutions like Uncloak, and conduct regular security awareness training for all staff members.

Prevention is far more cost-effective than remediation. Invest in proper cybersecurity infrastructure before an incident occurs, not after.