Keep protected backups and test restoration. After an incident, contain the compromise and clean or rebuild affected systems before restoring a verified backup. Backups do not remove data-theft exposure.
“A good backup is ransomware's worst enemy.”
Sources for this correction, checked October 17, 2026: https://www.cisa.gov/stopransomware/ransomware-guide ; https://www.ic3.gov/CSA/2023/230523.pdf