A company in the mining sector in Armenia faced a ransomware attack that directly compromised its virtualized environment, affecting critical systems based on Hyper-V and VMware. The attack used the .shutdown extension, impacting data essential to the company’s operations.
With no available backups and no structured incident response plan, the company was completely paralyzed for approximately two weeks. In a sector like mining, where operations depend on continuous data and integrated systems, this type of disruption has a direct impact on production and revenue.
The initial scenario was critical. The client was in a state of desperation, under intense pressure to restore operations as quickly as possible. Unlike other cases, the main focus was not the entire environment, but a specific point: the company’s database, with less than 1 TB, considered essential for resuming activities.
The complete absence of backups significantly worsened the situation. With no possibility of direct restoration, the only viable alternative was an in-depth technical analysis and an attempt to recover the data directly from the affected systems.
Database diagnosis and recovery
Given the scenario, the initial approach was to perform a complete diagnosis to understand the extent of the compromise and assess the feasibility of recovery. Even without clear information about the attack vector, it was possible to quickly identify that the virtualized environment had been the main target.
The strategy adopted focused on recovering the database, which was the most critical asset for the client. This type of approach is common in highly impacted environments, where full recovery may not be feasible or necessary at first. Prioritizing the right data can significantly accelerate operational recovery.
Recovery was carried out using specialized database reconstruction techniques, extracting as much information as possible from the compromised systems. A decisive factor in the project’s success was the direct collaboration with an experienced DBA from the client’s team, who helped validate the recovered data.
This validation is a critical step, especially in corporate environments, where simply recovering the data is not enough: it is necessary to ensure its integrity and consistency so it can be used again in production.
Communication throughout the process was smooth and efficient, allowing constant alignment between the technical teams and ensuring agility in the execution of each step.
Even without unusual technical challenges, time remained a decisive factor. The complete project, from intake to data approval, was completed in approximately two weeks, the same period during which the company remained paralyzed.
At the end of the process, the client was able to recover its critical database, which allowed operations to resume. The reaction was one of relief and gratitude, especially considering the initial scenario with no backup and no clear recovery outlook.
This case reinforces several important points. First, the absence of backups does not necessarily mean total data loss, as long as a specialized technical approach is available. Second, prioritizing critical assets can be key to reducing operational impact. And third, collaboration with the client’s internal team can significantly accelerate the validation process and the return to operations.
Even in a highly critical scenario, the combination of rapid diagnosis, strategic focus, and technical execution made it possible to transform an environment with no apparent alternatives into a successful recovery case.
