A-Lab investigates ransomware incidents and recovers data from encrypted databases, backups, virtual machines and enterprise storage. We analyse how the ransomware works, find its weakness and rebuild your data. There is no need to contact the attackers.
The first hour decides how much data comes back. Most of it is about what not to do.
Full first-hour checklistUnplug the network cable or disable Wi-Fi on affected systems. Do not reboot, format or reinstall. Memory and disks hold the evidence that makes recovery possible.
Do not rename files, delete the ransom note or remove encrypted backups. Do not run decryptor tools found online. Identification must come first.
The ransom note plus two or three encrypted files on WhatsApp. Within hours you know the family, what is recoverable and the fixed price. No need to contact the attackers.
Ransomware is malicious software that encrypts your files so they cannot be opened, then demands payment for the key. Modern groups also steal your data first and threaten to publish it. The attack is rarely a single event. It is a chain of steps that can run for days or weeks before the encryption you finally see.
From the first hour of the incident to verified, working data. Every engagement starts with a free assessment and a fixed quotation.
We identify the ransomware family from the ransom note and encrypted samples, establish what is recoverable and give you a clear plan within hours.
We study the encryption implementation, locate flaws such as weak key generation or partial encryption, and build tools that restore your files without the attackers' key.
When files were deleted, overwritten or damaged during the attack, our laboratory recovers them from the underlying storage using forensic techniques.
Encrypted or corrupted databases are reconstructed page by page so ERP, accounting and CRM systems run again with your real records.
Hypervisors are the primary target of modern ransomware. We decrypt and rebuild virtual disks so whole environments return to service.
Backups are usually encrypted first. We repair Veeam VBK/VIB chains, Windows Server Backup, Acronis and tape images so restore points become usable again.
Ransomware rarely stops at documents. These are the systems that arrive in the laboratory most often.
Windows file servers, Synology, QNAP and NetApp. Encrypted shares, snapshots and RAID arrays.
VMware ESXi, Hyper-V, Proxmox, Nutanix. Encrypted VMDK and VHDX disks rebuilt to a bootable state.
Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle. Page-level repair of the data files behind ERP, accounting and CRM.
Veeam, Acronis, Commvault, Windows Server Backup, NAS snapshots and tape. Encrypted backup chains reconstructed.
Exchange databases, Outlook PST archives, SharePoint and document management systems.
PCs, laptops and external drives hit by STOP/Djvu, Phobos, Dharma and other small-business strains.
Ransomware is software written under pressure by criminals. It contains mistakes: weak random-number generation, reused keys, partial encryption of large files, traces left in memory and on disk. Our engineers study the exact build that hit you and turn those mistakes into a recovery method. When no public decryptor exists, we develop our own.
This is a forensic engineering problem, not a negotiation. It is why there is no need to contact the attackers.
If your extension is not listed, send the samples. Identification is part of the free assessment.
Paying a ransom is a transaction with an anonymous criminal group. It is not a recovery plan. Public research on UAE organisations shows that most companies which paid were attacked again, often within a month, and with a higher demand.
Short, factual guides that explain ransomware groups, attack methods and incident response in language both boardrooms and IT teams can use.
Accounts, contracts, customer records and email back in service, so the business keeps trading.
A-Lab partner for your clients' incidents. Confidential and white-label engagement available.
Strain analysis, decryption tooling, database and VM reconstruction that plugs into your incident response.
ESXi and Hyper-V clusters, SAN storage and multi-terabyte recoveries with priority response.
WhatsApp is the fastest channel. Send the ransom note and two or three encrypted files and the assessment starts immediately.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Serving all Emirates and the GCC.