Ransomware Recovery & Security Transformation
A precision aerospace manufacturer hit by double-extortion ransomware — manufacturing halted, nearly all systems encrypted. TrustPoint restored operations in 3 days and rebuilt the entire environment on a hardened Zero Trust architecture.
Executive Summary
A precision manufacturer of aircraft fuel systems — operating in a sector where downtime carries both financial and safety implications — suffered a devastating double-extortion ransomware attack. Threat actors gained access through an exposed Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) port, encrypted nearly all systems across the environment, and threatened to publish stolen data unless a ransom was paid. Manufacturing operations halted immediately. TrustPoint Cyber was engaged for emergency incident response: isolating compromised systems, performing forensic analysis, locating verified clean backups, and orchestrating a full rebuild from scratch on a hardened infrastructure. Partial operations resumed within 3 days; full restoration was achieved in 5. The engagement concluded with a complete security transformation — Zero Trust architecture, MFA, advanced endpoint protection, and an ongoing managed security relationship.
Engagement Phases
The Attack
Threat actors identified an RDP port exposed directly to the internet — a common but critical misconfiguration — and leveraged it to gain unauthorized access to the manufacturer's environment. Once inside, they deployed double-extortion ransomware: encrypting nearly all systems across the network while simultaneously exfiltrating sensitive data. The attackers threatened to publish stolen information unless their ransom demands were met. Manufacturing operations came to an immediate standstill, with production systems, engineering files, and business applications all rendered inaccessible.
Emergency Incident Response
TrustPoint deployed immediately. The first priority was containment: isolating all compromised systems to prevent further encryption or lateral movement. Forensic analysis was conducted to determine the full scope of the breach, identify the attack vector, and assess what data had been accessed or exfiltrated. Simultaneously, TrustPoint's team worked to locate clean, verified backups that could serve as the foundation for restoration — a critical step that would determine the speed and completeness of recovery.
Full Rebuild from Scratch
Rather than attempting to salvage potentially compromised systems, TrustPoint made the deliberate decision to rebuild the entire environment from the ground up. A new domain and server infrastructure were established on hardened architecture. All systems were rebuilt clean, with verified data restored from known-good backups. This approach — though more labor-intensive — eliminated any risk of residual malware or backdoors persisting in the environment. Partial manufacturing operations resumed within 3 days; full restoration of all systems was achieved by day 5.
Security Modernization
With the environment rebuilt, TrustPoint implemented a comprehensive security transformation designed to ensure this attack could never succeed again. Zero Trust Network Access was deployed to eliminate implicit trust and enforce least-privilege access across the environment. Multi-factor authentication was enforced for all users. Advanced endpoint detection and response (EDR) was deployed across every device. The exposed RDP attack vector and others like it were eliminated. An ongoing managed security program was established, providing continuous monitoring, threat detection, and a proactive security roadmap.
Key Outcomes
- Partial manufacturing operations resumed within 3 days of ransomware attack
- Full system restoration achieved within 5 days — environment rebuilt from scratch
- Double-extortion ransomware neutralized; ransom payment not required
- New domain and server infrastructure built on hardened, Zero Trust architecture
- All data restored from verified clean backups with no residual compromise risk
- Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) and MFA deployed across all users and systems
- Exposed RDP and other attack vectors permanently eliminated
- Ongoing managed security program providing continuous monitoring and protection
Ready to protect your organization?
Ransomware can halt operations in minutes. TrustPoint Cyber closes the gaps before attackers find them — and stands ready to lead recovery if the worst happens.