Ransomware Recovery in Manufacturing: A 72-Hour Playbook from the Front Lines

Wednesday, 6:47 AM: The Call

“Our systems are down. There’s a message on every computer saying we’ve been encrypted and need to pay Bitcoin.”

The call every manufacturer dreads. But this time, the company had prepared.

By Friday afternoon—72 hours later—they were back in production. Zero ransom paid. Minimal data loss. Customer commitments met.

This is the playbook that made it possible.

Why Manufacturing is Targeted

Before the playbook, understand why you’re a target:

Manufacturers are perfect ransomware victims:

• High pressure to restore production quickly (time = money)
• Often have outdated systems and security
• Complex environments difficult to defend
• Increasingly dependent on digital systems
• Good insurance or cash reserves to pay ransoms

The numbers are sobering:

• 61% of manufacturing ransomware victims pay the ransom (vs. 41% overall)
• Average downtime without preparation: 21 days
• Average downtime with IR plan: 3-4 days
• Average ransom demand in manufacturing: $1.2M - $2.5M
• Average total cost including lost production: $2M - $8M

But here’s what most don’t know: The first 72 hours determine whether you’re down for 4 days or 4 weeks.

The 72-Hour Playbook: Overview

This playbook assumes you’re hit by ransomware during business hours and have some incident response preparation (even minimal). If you’re reading this BEFORE an attack, the preparation section at the end is critical.

Hour 0-4: Containment and Assessment

• Contain the attack
• Assess scope and impact
• Activate incident response team
• Make critical initial decisions

Hour 4-24: Stabilization and Planning

• Complete damage assessment
• Secure unaffected systems
• Develop recovery strategy
• Engage external resources

Hour 24-48: Recovery Initiation

• Begin system restoration
• Restore critical production systems
• Communication with stakeholders
• Evidence preservation

Hour 48-72: Production Restart

• Validate restored systems
• Resume critical production
• Enhanced monitoring
• Incident documentation

Let’s go through each phase hour-by-hour.

Hour 0-4: Containment and Assessment

Hour 0-1: Initial Response

When you first discover the attack:

Immediate actions (do NOT skip these):

1. Disconnect infected systems from network (literally unplug network cables)

   • Don’t shut down yet (you’ll lose forensic evidence in RAM)
   • Disconnect from network to prevent spread
   • Photograph any ransom notes/screens

2. Activate incident response team

   • Call your IR team leader (if you have one)
   • Call your CISO or fractional CISO immediately
   • Call your cyber insurance company (they usually provide IR support)
   • DO NOT call your MSP yet (they may be the infection vector)

3. Identify patient zero

   • Which system was infected first?
   • What time did it start?
   • What user was logged in?
   • Were backups accessed? (Critical question)

What NOT to do (we see these mistakes constantly):

• Don’t immediately shut down everything (you’ll lose evidence and may not know full scope)
• Don’t pay ransom yet (you have time to assess)
• Don’t post about it on social media or notify customers yet
• Don’t delete the ransom note (it contains information you need)

Hour 1-2: Scope Assessment

Critical questions to answer:

Production impact:

• Which production systems are affected?
• Which are still operational?
• What’s our production capacity with remaining systems?
• What’s the financial impact per day of downtime?

Data impact:

• What data was encrypted?
• Were backups affected? (If yes, severity multiplies 10x)
• Was data exfiltrated? (Modern ransomware often steals before encrypting)
• What’s the business impact of lost data?

Network scope:

• How far has it spread?
• What systems are infected vs. just unreachable?
• Are domain controllers affected? (If yes, recovery is harder)
• Are we still being infected, or is it contained?

Hour 2-3: Containment

Aggressive containment measures:

1. Network segmentation (even if it breaks things)

   • Isolate production network from office network
   • Disable all VPN access
   • Disable all remote access
   • Block outbound internet from production systems

2. Account security

   • Reset all administrative passwords (assume compromised)
   • Disable all service accounts
   • Enable MFA on all accounts that support it
   • Identify and disable any suspicious user accounts

3. Communication lockdown

   • All company communication via personal phones or pre-designated alternate channel
   • No use of company email (may be compromised)
   • War room established (physical location + backup communication channel)

Hour 3-4: Initial Decision Point

The first critical decision: Restore vs. Rebuild

Assess your backup situation:

Scenario A: Clean backups exist (unencrypted, recent)

• Decision: Restore from backup (don’t pay ransom)
• Timeline: 24-72 hours to production
• Cost: Recovery effort only
• Action: Move to restoration planning

Scenario B: Backups are encrypted or too old (30+ days)

• Decision: More complex (see decision tree below)
• Timeline: 5-14 days to production (with or without paying)
• Cost: Significantly higher
• Action: Engage ransomware negotiator

Scenario C: No backups

• Decision: Very difficult
• Timeline: 7-21 days
• Cost: Highest (likely paying ransom + rebuilding)
• Action: Immediate external IR firm engagement

The Ransom Payment Decision Tree:

Consider paying IF:

• No viable backups exist
• Downtime cost exceeds ransom demand + recovery cost
• Time to rebuild from scratch exceeds business continuity tolerance
• Cyber insurance covers ransom payment

Don’t pay IF:

• Clean backups exist (even if 2-3 weeks old)
• Attackers exfiltrated data (payment doesn’t guarantee data deletion)
• You can rebuild faster than decryption would work (decryption is slow and unreliable)
• Paying violates regulations (OFAC sanctions on certain ransomware groups)

Reality check: In our experience, manufacturers with backups who pay anyway regret it. Decryption tools often don’t work fully, and you still need to rebuild/restore systems anyway.

Hour 4-24: Stabilization and Planning

Hour 4-8: Damage Assessment

Complete system inventory:

Create spreadsheet with every system:

• System name and function
• Status: Encrypted / Operational / Unknown
• Criticality: Critical / Important / Optional
• Recovery priority: 1-5
• Backup status: Good backup / Old backup / No backup
• Dependencies: What else needs this to work?

Production assessment:

• What’s our production capacity with working systems?
• Can we run limited production manually?
• What’s minimum viable production to meet critical customer commitments?
• What customer orders are at risk?

Hour 8-12: Recovery Strategy Development

Based on backup assessment, choose strategy:

Strategy 1: Backup Restoration (Best Case)

Timeline: 24-72 hours to production

Steps:

1. Verify backup integrity (test restore to isolated environment)
2. Prioritize systems by recovery priority
3. Build clean recovery environment
4. Restore in order: Domain controllers → core infrastructure → production systems → office systems
5. Validate each system before connecting to network

Strategy 2: Hybrid Restore + Rebuild

Timeline: 48-96 hours to production

Steps:

1. Restore what can be restored from backup
2. Rebuild from scratch what can’t (or where backups are too old)
3. Prioritize getting production systems up, even if office systems take longer
4. Manual workarounds for encrypted systems with no backup

Strategy 3: Pay Ransom + Decrypt

Timeline: 72-168 hours (decryption is slow)

Steps:

1. Engage ransomware negotiator
2. Negotiate price down (usually 30-50% reduction is possible)
3. Make payment and receive decryption tool
4. Test decryption on non-critical systems first
5. Decrypt in priority order
6. Rebuild domain controllers and critical infrastructure anyway (don’t trust decrypted systems)

Hour 12-16: External Resources

Engage specialized help:

Cyber insurance:

• File claim immediately
• They provide IR firms, legal counsel, negotiators
• Understand what’s covered vs. out of pocket
• Get pre-approval for major expenses

Incident response firm:

• Forensics and investigation
• Recovery support
• Ransom negotiation (if needed)
• Cost: $15K-$50K+ depending on scope

Legal counsel:

• Data breach notification requirements
• Regulatory compliance (CMMC, ITAR, etc.)
• Customer/vendor communication
• Contract implications

Communication specialist:

• Customer communication
• Employee communication
• Media (if it goes public)
• Investor/board communication (if applicable)

Hour 16-24: Begin Recovery

Start with quick wins:

Systems you can restore quickly (4-8 hours):

• File servers from backup
• Email systems (clean backup to isolated environment)
• Office workstations (wipe and rebuild from image)

Systems that take longer (12-48 hours):

• Domain controllers (must be pristine, often rebuild from scratch)
• ERP systems (complex, need careful restoration and testing)
• MES/production systems (test thoroughly before production use)

Don’t rush production systems: Better to run manual processes for 48 hours than restore infected production systems that cause problems for weeks.

Hour 24-48: Recovery Initiation

Hour 24-36: System Restoration

Priority 1: Core Infrastructure (Hours 24-30)

1. Domain Controllers (rebuild, don’t restore)

   • Build new, clean domain controllers
   • Restore AD from known-clean backup (if available)
   • Reset all service account passwords
   • Disable all unnecessary accounts

2. Network Infrastructure

   • Verify switches and routers are clean (update firmware)
   • Reconfigure network segmentation
   • Enable enhanced logging

3. Email and Communication

   • Restore email from backup to isolated environment
   • Migrate to clean email environment
   • Enable for critical staff first, all staff later

Priority 2: Production Systems (Hours 30-42)

1. ERP System

   • Restore from backup to isolated environment
   • Validate data integrity (run reports, check critical records)
   • Test critical workflows
   • Connect to production network only after validation

2. MES/Production Control

   • Restore from backup
   • Test with one production line before full deployment
   • Manual production tracking if system isn’t ready

3. Quality Management System

   • Restore from backup
   • Validate calibration records and quality data
   • Manual quality tracking if needed

Hour 36-48: Production Preparation

Pre-production validation:

Before restarting production, verify:

• All production systems restored and tested
• Network segmentation in place
• Enhanced monitoring active
• Backup jobs running successfully
• Incident response procedures updated

Limited production restart:

• Start with one line or cell
• Run for 4-8 hours monitoring closely
• Validate quality, data collection, and system stability
• Expand to additional production areas only after validation

Hour 48-72: Production Restart

Hour 48-60: Controlled Production Restart

Phase 1: Critical Production (Hour 48-52)

• Restart production for most urgent customer commitments
• Manual processes for any systems still recovering
• Enhanced monitoring and supervision
• Frequent backups of all newly created data

Phase 2: Expanded Production (Hour 52-60)

• Expand to additional product lines
• Validate quality systems capturing data correctly
• Test ERP integration (orders, inventory, scheduling)
• Communication with customers on delivery status

Hour 60-72: Stabilization

System validation:

• All restored systems performing normally
• No signs of re-infection
• Backups completing successfully
• Monitoring shows normal patterns

Business stabilization:

• Customer communication on delivery timelines
• Employee communication on return to normal operations
• Vendor/supplier communication
• Insurance and legal documentation

Enhanced security:

• All administrative passwords changed
• MFA enabled on all critical systems
• Remote access requires additional authentication
• Enhanced monitoring and alerting in place

The First 72 Hours: By The Numbers

Real example from our experience:

$65M automotive parts manufacturer hit by Lockbit ransomware on Wednesday morning:

Hour 0: Attack discovered when production systems encrypted Hour 2: Containment complete, scope assessed, clean backups confirmed Hour 8: Recovery strategy developed (restore from backup) Hour 12: Core infrastructure restoration started Hour 24: Email and file servers restored Hour 36: ERP system restored and validated Hour 48: First production line restarted Hour 60: Full production resumed Hour 72: All systems operational, enhanced monitoring in place

Outcome:

• Zero ransom paid
• 3 days of lost production: $180,000
• Recovery costs: $65,000 (IR firm, overtime, etc.)
• Insurance covered: $150,000
• Net cost: $95,000

Compare to unprepared manufacturer:

• 21 days of downtime: $1.26M in lost production
• Ransom paid: $800,000 (negotiated from $1.5M)
• Recovery costs: $200,000
• Total cost: $2.26M

The difference? Preparation.

The Preparation That Matters

Everything in this playbook depends on preparation done BEFORE an attack.

Critical preparation elements:

1. Backup Strategy (Non-Negotiable)

What you need:

• Automated daily backups of all critical systems
• Air-gapped or immutable backups (ransomware can’t encrypt them)
• Regular restore testing (monthly for critical systems)
• Offsite backup copy
• Documentation of what’s backed up and how to restore

Cost: $20K-$50K setup, $10K-$30K annual

ROI: The difference between 3 days and 21 days of downtime

2. Incident Response Plan

Minimum viable IR plan:

• IR team roster with contact information (personal phones)
• Communication plan (alternate channels if email is down)
• Decision tree for restore vs. rebuild vs. pay
• System inventory and recovery priorities
• Vendor contact information (insurance, IR firms, etc.)

Cost: $15K-$30K to develop with fractional CISO

ROI: Faster decision-making, less chaos, better outcomes

3. Network Segmentation

Critical segmentation:

• Production network separated from office network
• Administrative access from dedicated secure workstations
• OT (operational technology) isolated from IT
• No direct internet access from production systems

Cost: $30K-$80K depending on complexity

ROI: Limits attack spread, may keep production running even if office systems are encrypted

4. Detection and Monitoring

What you need:

• EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) on all systems
• SIEM or logging solution with alerting
• 24/7 monitoring (managed SOC service)
• Baseline of normal network behavior

Cost: $40K-$100K annually for mid-market manufacturer

ROI: Early detection means stopping ransomware before it encrypts everything

5. Cyber Insurance

Coverage you need:

• Ransomware coverage (including ransom payment if you choose)
• Business interruption
• Incident response costs
• Legal and notification costs

Cost: $15K-$60K annually (depending on revenue and security posture)

ROI: Cost recovery and access to specialized IR firms

The “We Can’t Afford This” Objection

“We’re a $50M manufacturer. We can’t afford $150K-$300K in cybersecurity preparation.”

Here’s the math:

Average ransomware cost without preparation: $2M - $8M

Average ransomware cost with preparation: $50K - $300K

Probability of ransomware attack in next 3 years: 60-70% for manufacturers

Expected cost without preparation: $1.2M - $5.6M

Expected cost with preparation: $30K - $210K

Cost of preparation: $200K over 2-3 years

You literally can’t afford NOT to prepare.

The 90-Day Ransomware Readiness Plan

If you’re reading this and realize you’re not prepared:

Month 1: Critical Gaps

• Implement air-gapped backup solution
• Test backup restoration
• Network segmentation planning
• Cyber insurance quote and purchase

Month 2: Detection and Response

• Deploy EDR on all systems
• Engage managed SOC or SIEM
• Develop incident response plan
• IR team training

Month 3: Hardening and Testing

• Implement network segmentation
• Tabletop exercise with IR team
• Update documentation
• Continuous monitoring and improvement

Cost: $80K-$150K over 90 days

Value: Readiness to survive ransomware with minimal disruption

Final Thoughts: It’s Not If, It’s When

Every manufacturer we work with asks: “What are the chances we’ll be hit by ransomware?”

The answer: Very high, and increasing.

Manufacturing is the #1 targeted industry for ransomware. The criminals know you have thin margins, high downtime costs, and often poor security.

The question isn’t whether you’ll be attacked. It’s whether you’ll be ready.

The manufacturers who survive ransomware with minimal disruption all have one thing in common: They prepared before it happened.

The 72-hour playbook works—but only if you have the foundation in place.

Where are you in your ransomware readiness?

Schedule a free ransomware readiness assessment to identify your critical gaps and develop a realistic preparation plan.

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About EdgePoint Strategy: We provide fractional CISO services specializing in manufacturing cybersecurity and incident response. Our team has guided 8+ manufacturers through ransomware recovery and helped 30+ manufacturers implement ransomware prevention programs. Average client recovery time: 3.5 days. Ransom payment rate: 0%.