Ransomware Protection for Small Business: A Sydney Reality Check

Ransomware crews shifted their aim years ago: big companies have security teams, small businesses have a shared password taped to the monitor. Australian small businesses are attacked constantly — and most incidents we're called to were preventable with five unglamorous defences.

The five defences

1. Multi-factor authentication on email and remote access. The single highest-value control — most breaches start with a stolen password that MFA would have stopped.

2. Patched systems. Attackers scan for known holes in outdated Windows, routers and NAS boxes. Monthly patching closes them.

3. Versioned, offline-capable backups. If they can't destroy your backups, the ransom loses its leverage.

4. Least privilege. Staff accounts that can't install software can't install ransomware either.

5. Email filtering and a team that's seen a phishing example or two. Most attacks still arrive as an invoice attachment.

If the worst happens

Disconnect affected machines from the network immediately, don't pay before speaking to someone qualified, and report to the ACSC. Recovery speed depends almost entirely on the quality of your backups — which is why defence number three matters most.

We run security hardening as part of every IT engagement. If you're not sure where you stand, a plain-English security review costs nothing to ask about.