A ransomware readiness assessment is a targeted evaluation of how well an organisation can prevent, detect, contain, and recover from a ransomware attack - covering identity and access controls, network segmentation and blast radius, endpoint detection, and the integrity and recoverability of backups. CyberXplore runs senior-led, manual assessments mapped to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and MITRE ATT&CK, safely emulating real ransomware tradecraft (initial access, privilege escalation, lateral movement, and pre-encryption behaviour) and validating that your backups actually restore. The result is an evidence-based picture of your true resilience and a prioritised roadmap to close the gaps before a real incident does.
NIST CSFNIST SP 800-61MITRE ATT&CKCIS Controls
Why CyberXplore
Senior-only testers (OSCP, CRTP, CREST)
ISO 27001 & ISO 9001 certified
Free retest + attestation letter
Tailored scope and quote in 24 hours
Why it matters
Ransomware now combines data theft with encryption, so a single compromised endpoint can halt operations and trigger extortion, regulatory exposure, and reputational damage within hours.
Most organisations assume their backups work - but untested or network-reachable backups are routinely encrypted or deleted by attackers before encryption, turning 'recoverable' into 'gone'.
Flat networks let ransomware spread laterally across the entire estate; without tested segmentation, the blast radius of one infected host is your whole business.
Detection and response gaps mean attackers often dwell for days undetected - readiness testing reveals whether your EDR, logging, and team can actually catch the kill chain in time.
Aligned with industry standards: NIST CSF · NIST SP 800-61 · MITRE ATT&CK · CIS Controls
Our methodology
01
Scoping & Threat Profiling
We agree objectives, critical systems, and rules of engagement, then profile the ransomware groups and TTPs most relevant to your sector using current threat intelligence and MITRE ATT&CK.
02
Control & Posture Review
We assess identity, privileged access, email and endpoint controls, patching, network segmentation, and logging against the NIST CSF functions of Identify, Protect, and Detect.
03
Safe Attack Emulation
Our senior testers safely emulate the ransomware kill chain - initial access, credential theft, privilege escalation, and lateral movement - stopping short of encryption to measure how far an attacker could realistically reach.
04
Backup & Recovery Validation
We verify that backups are immutable, segregated, and out of attacker reach, then validate that critical systems can actually be restored within your stated recovery objectives (RTO/RPO).
05
Detection & Response Test
We evaluate whether your EDR, SIEM, and security team detect and alert on each stage of the attack, measuring detection coverage and realistic response time.
06
Tabletop Exercise & Reporting
We facilitate a scenario-driven tabletop with technical and executive stakeholders, then deliver a prioritised report scoring your readiness and mapping a clear remediation roadmap.
What we test
Ransomware resilience posture against NIST CSF and MITRE ATT&CK
Identity, privileged access, and credential exposure (AD, Entra ID, service accounts)
Network segmentation and blast-radius containment
Endpoint protection and EDR detection coverage
Email, web, and exposed-service initial-access vectors
Lateral movement and privilege-escalation paths
Backup architecture: immutability, segregation, and offline copies
Backup recovery and restoration testing against RTO/RPO targets
Logging, alerting, and SOC/EDR detection effectiveness
Incident response readiness via a facilitated tabletop exercise
What you get
Executive readiness summary with an overall resilience score for leadership and the board
Detailed technical findings mapped to NIST CSF and MITRE ATT&CK techniques
Backup and recovery validation results with restoration evidence and RTO/RPO gaps
Segmentation and blast-radius analysis showing realistic attacker spread
Detection and response coverage assessment with logging recommendations
Tabletop exercise findings and incident response improvement actions
Prioritised remediation roadmap with quick wins and longer-term hardening
Sample deliverable
What you'll see in your report
Every engagement ends with a clear, prioritized report: severity-rated findings with CVSS scores, affected assets, and remediation status - plus a free retest. The figures below are illustrative.
Findings by severity
12 total
Critical
2
High
6
Medium
3
Low
1
Critical · CVSS 9.6CX-1220
Full domain compromise (Domain Admin obtained)
MITRE T1003CORP domainOpen
Critical · CVSS 9.0CX-1214
EDR bypass - payload executed, no alert raised
MITRE T1562ws-022.corp.localOpen
Illustrative red team assessment sample - anonymized to example.com.
High · CVSS 8.0CX-1202
Spear-phishing → initial access (38% click rate)
MITRE T156624 of 63 employeesOpen
Want the full anonymized sample report? We'll include it with your quote.
“As an early-stage team we needed real depth, not a checkbox scan. They hardened our LLM product and walked us through every fix.”
Hardened in 30 days
FC
Founder & CTO
Early-stage AI startup · Seed · LLM product
AI / ML
Certifications held by our testers
OSCP
CRTP
CREST
CEH
eWPTX
ISO 27001
ISO 9001
Frequently asked questions
No. We safely emulate the techniques real ransomware groups use - initial access, credential theft, privilege escalation, and lateral movement - but we never encrypt data or detonate live malware. All activity is controlled, agreed in the rules of engagement, and designed to be production-safe.
