Ransomware protection in Dubai: be able to recover without paying, then make it hard to get in.
Ransomware protection in Dubai starts with one question: if every server and laptop were encrypted tomorrow, could you bring the business back from backups the attacker could not touch? Microsoft’s own ransomware guidance puts that first, then protecting the privileged accounts attackers use to spread, then closing the ways in. We set those controls up on your Microsoft 365, Azure and endpoint estate, test that your backups restore, and hand you a written plan for the first hours of an incident. Nobody can honestly promise decryption or guaranteed recovery, and we do not.
- 3 stepsRecover, limit damage, block entry
- 5 minP1 critical response
- DubaiBased SOC
- 50+Microsoft Sentinel tenants
Six controls, in the order Microsoft says to put them in place.
Backups the attacker cannot delete
Attackers go after backups and recovery documents on purpose. We put critical systems on backups that are immutable or held offline, require MFA or a security PIN before anyone can change or delete an online backup, and use Azure Backup immutable vaults locked so immutability cannot be switched off. Azure Backup also keeps deleted backup data for 14 extra days.
A restore order, tested
Your backup list becomes your restore list. We rank systems the way Microsoft recommends (identity first, then systems that protect human life, finance, the systems that deliver what customers pay for, then minimum security), restore them in a test, and rehearse recovery from zero, with every system down.
Privileged accounts locked down
Once an attacker holds admin rights, most other controls can be undone. We require Conditional Access checks before anyone reaches admin interfaces, randomise local administrator passwords so one compromised device does not unlock the rest, and protect the identity systems themselves.
The common ways in closed
Microsoft names endpoint, email, identity and RDP as the entry points ransomware operators favour. We enforce MFA for every user, starting with administrators, keep internet-facing systems patched, put remote access behind Conditional Access, and filter email with Defender for Office 365 features such as Safe Links.
Endpoint protection tuned for ransomware
Attack surface reduction rules, including "Use advanced protection against ransomware" (which needs cloud-delivered protection on), tamper protection, and controlled folder access to stop untrusted apps changing protected folders. As Microsoft recommends, controlled folder access runs in audit mode first, so the apps your staff need are allowed before anything is blocked.
Early warning from our Dubai-based SOC
Our SOC watches for the signs Microsoft says come before encryption: password spray and brute-force attempts, security event logs being cleared, and security tools being switched off. Built on Microsoft Sentinel, which we run for more than 50 tenants.
Ransomware recovery in Dubai: what to do in the first hours.
Isolate, do not power off
Microsoft’s incident response team advises isolating compromised systems from the network without turning them off, so evidence is not lost. Disable accounts you believe are compromised.
Protect identity first
Keep at least one known-good domain controller isolated, and cut privileged accounts back to the few admins doing the recovery. Identity is what every other system needs to come back.
Check backups before you trust them
Pick a point in time from before the attack, check it again before restoring, and scan it for malware so you do not restore the attacker along with your data.
Report it in the UAE
The UAE Cyber Security Council takes reports through the incident form on its website. Cybercrime in Dubai can also be reported through the Dubai Police eCrime website, at the nearest police station, or by calling 999.
Evict the attacker, not just the malware
Human-operated ransomware can keep threatening the business after the first encounter. Removing the encryption program is not enough; the attacker’s access has to be found and removed before users restore their own files.
Restore critical systems first
Bring back the top systems on your restore list, then the rest, collecting telemetry as you go so you can tell whether anything malicious came back with them.
What GR does, and what we will not promise.
Response times by priority
P1 critical incidents get a response within 5 minutes, P2 within 10 minutes and P3 within 30 minutes, from our team in Business Bay, Dubai.
Monitoring by a Dubai-based SOC
Alerts from Defender and Microsoft Sentinel go to our own SOC in Dubai, the same team that knows your restore order and your contacts when something fires.
Microsoft and Sophos estates
We are a Microsoft partner and a Sophos partner, so we work with the endpoint and email protection you already run instead of asking you to replace it.
No promise of decryption
We do not promise to decrypt files or guarantee recovery, and we do not negotiate with attackers. What we do is make sure you have tested backups and a plan, so that paying is not your only option.
From readiness review to ongoing protection.
- 1
Readiness review
We check your backups (and whether they can be deleted), restore order, admin accounts, MFA coverage, endpoint settings, monitoring and incident contacts. Output: a written gap list in priority order.
- 2
Recovery first
Immutable or offline backups for critical systems, out-of-band protection on backup changes, recovery documents stored where the attacker cannot reach them, and a first test restore.
- 3
Privileged access and entry points
Admin access through Conditional Access, randomised local admin passwords, MFA for every user, attack surface reduction rules, controlled folder access moved from audit to block, and email filtering.
- 4
Exercise and monitor
A tabletop exercise on your restore list with email and chat assumed down, then ongoing SOC monitoring and repeat restore tests.
What Dubai businesses ask before engaging.
Book a ransomware readiness review and get a written gap list.
Tell us about your critical systems, backups, admin accounts and current security tools. We will confirm the requirements and proposed scope with you.
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