When organizations think about ransomware recovery, they often focus on one thing: getting their data back. However, successful recovery isn’t just about restoring files or spinning servers back up. It’s about restoring trust in your environment, and that starts with identity.
Modern ransomware attacks don’t just encrypt data. They target identity systems first. The 2025 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report showed more than 80% of breaches involve compromised identities. Successful business continuity requires more than data recovery alone. If identity isn’t properly recovered, threat attackers can regain access even after systems have been restored.
The Evolution of Ransomware: From Data to Identity
Traditional Ransomware: A Data Problem
Historically, ransomware followed a predictable pattern:
- A threat actor compromised a device
- Files were encrypted
- A ransom was demanded
- Organizations restored data from backups
In this pattern, recovery focused on restoring servers and files. If backups were intact, the organization could resume operations.
Modern Ransomware: An Identity Problem
Today’s attacks are more sophisticated. Threat actors now:
- Compromise privileged accounts
- Disable MFA and security tools
- Create hidden backdoor accounts
- Move laterally across hybrid environments
- Attempt to access and corrupt backups
By the time encryption happens, attackers control the authentication systems that manage access to critical workloads. If organizations restore data without fully restoring identity systems to a known-good state, attackers can simply re-enter the environment.
The Missing Piece in Business Continuity: Identity Recovery
Identity systems are a pillar of modern IT environments. They don’t just manage usernames and passwords. They also control how people, applications and devices interact across on-prem environments, hybrid infrastructures and cloud platforms. Identity systems:
- Authenticate users and devices: verify that someone (or something) is who they claim to be
- Authorize access: determine what users are allowed to access systems, applications and data
- Ensure security: enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA), conditional access and least-privilege controls.
- Manage privileges and roles: control administrative rights, sensitive permissions and enable single sign-on (SSO)
- Provide audit details: log access and changes for compliance and security monitoring.
If authentication services are unavailable or compromised, employees cannot access systems, customers cannot complete transactions, applications and security tools may fail, and administrators lose control of access privileges.
The Data Recovery Process: What Resilience Really Requires
Successful data recovery is not just about restoring what’s lost, but also ensuring the IT environment is secure before operations can resume. A resilient recovery strategy includes:
1. Protected Backups
Data recovery starts with backups that cannot be altered or deleted, even if administrative credentials are compromised. This ensures attackers cannot destroy recovery points.
2. Threat Detection & Validation
Before restoring systems, organizations must determine when the security incident occurred, which identity was compromised and whether backdoors were created.
3. Identity Recovery
Identity systems must be restored to a validated state, including user accounts, administrative privileges, group memberships and security policies. This is a crucial step in recovery.
4. Operational Restoration
Only after identity is trusted again can organizations confidently restore business-critical systems, cloud workloads, servers and applications.
Get Started with Identity Recovery Solutions with Computer Solutions & Rubrik
Rubrik approaches cyber resilience with the understanding that identity and data are inseparable. Its platform combines immutable backups, automated protection, hybrid-first architecture and built-in threat monitoring to help organizations recover quickly and securely after an attack.
Critical identity systems are automatically protected so that if credentials are compromised, the design prevents attackers from changing or deleting recovery points. Continuous monitoring for suspicious activity and anomalies allows security teams to identify recovery points and restore with more confidence. Whether recovering a single user account or an entire identity service, Rubrik provides the flexibility to restore granularly or fully.
As a trusted Rubrik partner, Computer Solutions helps organizations to assess their current recovery posture, identify gaps in identity protection and implement Rubrik’s Identity Recovery capabilities as part of a broader resilience strategy. We help align recovery processes to business continuity objectives so that if ransomware strikes, your organization can restore both data and the identities that control access to it. We serve businesses across Texas as a true partner and MSP. Contact our team today to get started.
