Ransomware continues to be one of the most destructive threats facing businesses today, capable of crippling operations, destroying data, and causing long-lasting reputational damage.
A recent incident reported by Bleeping Computer highlights just how complex these attacks can be and why prevention must be the priority for business owners. According to the article, a significant operational security failure by the INC ransomware gang inadvertently enabled cybersecurity researchers to recover data that had been stolen from a dozen U.S. organizations.
What Happened in the INC Ransomware Case
In late 2025, cybersecurity firm Cyber Centaurs was called in after an organization detected ransomware encryption activity on a production SQL server. During their investigation, researchers uncovered artifacts—not just from the ransomware payload but also from a legitimate backup tool called Restic. Although the attackers had not directly used Restic during that particular infection, remnants of its presence, including configuration variables and PowerShell scripts, pointed toward shared cloud storage infrastructure that the threat actors were reusing across multiple attacks.
This opsec oversight proved crucial. Instead of being dismantled after each attack, those attacker-controlled repositories persisted, quietly storing encrypted stolen data from previous victims. Because of that, the Cyber Centaurs team was able to systematically enumerate the storage, locate encrypted files tied to 12 separate ransomware incidents, and, with law enforcement coordination, decrypt them.
This sequence of events is unusual—most ransomware attacks do not leave such recoverable footprints—but it illustrates the complexity of modern ransomware operations and the opportunities defenders can exploit when adversaries make mistakes.
Why This Matters for Businesses
The INC case might seem like a lucky break for the victims, but the broader context paints a more concerning picture for most organizations. Ransomware attacks are becoming more sophisticated, and recovery is often neither guaranteed nor straightforward. According to multiple industry reports, only a small percentage of organizations fully recover their data after a ransomware strike. In fact, less than 15 percent manage complete restoration of critical systems after an attack, and many suffer significant operational disruption, revenue loss, and lasting damage to customer trust.
Even when organizations choose to pay a ransom, there is no assurance that decryption will work or that stolen data will not be leaked or resold online. Some ransomware variants are poorly coded, corrupting files during encryption or decryption, leaving data irretrievable even after payment.
The possibility of recovery due to an attacker’s mistake is the exception, not the rule. Businesses cannot rely on chance or on attackers making errors.
The Limits of Traditional Detection and Response
Much of the traditional cybersecurity investment in organizations today focuses on detect and respond approaches: detect threats after they penetrate defenses, then respond with incident response teams, containment strategies, and cleanup efforts. These methods are necessary, but they are reactive. By the time an alert fires and a response team begins its work, an attacker may already have moved laterally across networks, exfiltrated sensitive data, or encrypted critical systems.
Ransomware groups like INC and others (such as LockBit, Ryuk, and REvil) operate as ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS), constantly innovating and refining their tooling to evade detection and extend dwell time inside victim environments.
Traditional defenses also often fail to protect backup systems adequately—ransomware actors increasingly target backups to ensure organizations have no clean restoration point. With attackers routinely disabling shadow copies and encrypting or deleting backups, restoring systems after an attack can become even harder.
This reactive posture results in longer downtimes, higher remediation costs, and greater reputational harm.
Why Proactive Isolation and Containment Is Essential
To stay ahead of ransomware, businesses need to shift focus from reactive detection and response to proactive isolation and containment. Rather than wait for attackers to trigger defense alerts, solutions that isolate critical systems and contain threats before they can execute malicious actions help prevent ransomware from ever gaining a foothold.
This is where AppGuard comes in.
How AppGuard Prevents Ransomware Damage
AppGuard is a proven endpoint protection solution with a ten-year track record of success, now available for commercial use. Unlike traditional antivirus or endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools that rely on signatures or behavioral detection after threats occur, AppGuard enforces strict isolation policies that prevent unauthorized code from running in the first place. When ransomware or other malware attempts to execute, AppGuard effectively contains the threat, stopping it from spreading, exfiltrating data, or encrypting systems.
This approach fundamentally changes the game because it does not depend on recognizing malware signatures or patterns. Instead, it blocks execution paths that attackers rely on, whether the code is new, unknown, or deliberately obfuscated.
With AppGuard, your organization gains:
- Prevention-first protection that stops ransomware before it can execute.
- Minimal reliance on reactive alerts and manual incident response.
- Reduced risk of data loss and operational disruption from ransomware, even if attackers bypass initial defenses.
Moving Beyond Detect and Respond
The recent INC ransomware case underscores a critical truth: waiting to detect attacks is not enough. Businesses need defenses that prevent attacks from progressing in the first place. Reactive strategies will always be a step behind sophisticated ransomware actors.
Adopting advanced isolation and containment technologies like AppGuard strengthens your cyber resilience and dramatically reduces the likelihood of becoming the next statistic.
Talk with Us at CHIPS
If you are a business owner concerned about ransomware and data loss, now is the time to act. Talk with us at CHIPS about how AppGuard can protect your organization. We will help you transition from a traditional detect and respond posture to a proactive isolation and containment strategy that significantly reduces ransomware risk and keeps your data safe.
Don’t leave your business exposed. Contact CHIPS today to learn how AppGuard can be a game-changer in your cybersecurity defense.
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