Ransomware: what to do if your business in Nice is attacked?

It is 8:30 am, you turn on your PC in Nice and a message appears: "Your files have been encrypted. Pay €15,000 in Bitcoin to recover your data." Welcome to the ransomware nightmare. These attacks are growing by 40% per year in France and the Alpes-Maritimes are not spared: from medical practices in Grasse to estate agencies in Cannes and hotels in Monaco, no sector is immune. Here is the exact protocol to follow.

Comprendre ce qu’est un ransomware

A ransomware is malicious software that encrypts your files and demands a ransom to provide the decryption key. The most common infection vector remains phishing (trap emails), but unpatched VPN vulnerabilities and Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) connections exposed on the internet represent a part croissante des intrusions.

Modern cybercriminal groups operate like businesses: customer support, negotiation, darkweb site. Some practise “double extortion”: they steal your data before encrypting it and threaten to publish it if you do not pay. For a business in Sophia Antipolis or Antibes handling sensitive client data, the consequences extend beyond simple loss of file access.

The 6 immediate reflexes in the event of an attack

1. Isolate the affected machines Immediately unplug network cables and disable WiFi. The aim is to prevent the spread to other workstations and network backups. Do not restart infected machines.
2. Alert management and the IT team Immediately inform your manager and, if you have an IT provider, contact them urgently. Do not communicate on social media at this stage.
3. Identify and photograph evidence Take photos of the ransom message on screen. Note the exact time of discovery and the affected workstations. This information is essential for the police report and for the forensic investigation.
4. File a complaint Go to the nearest police station (Nice, Cannes, Menton, Antibes…) or file a report online at Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr. This is mandatory to activate your cyber insurance if you have one.
5. Never pay the ransom ANSSI and the FBI formally advise against it. Payment does not guarantee data recovery (30% of victims never receive the key) and makes you a repeat target.
6. Start restoration from backups If you have clean, recent backups, restoration can begin after the forensic analysis. This is why a robust backup strategy is non-negotiable.

Common mistakes that worsen the situation

In the stress of the attack, many businesses make mistakes that complicate the recovery:

• Forcibly shutting down servers: you may lose valuable forensic traces and sometimes worsen corruption.
• Immediately formatting drives: decryption tools exist for some ransomware variants (see No More Ransom). You must first identify the strain.
• Communicating publicly too soon: in the event of data theft (double extortion), this may trigger GDPR notification obligations before you are ready.
• Trusting backups without having tested them: many Côte d'Azur businesses discover too late that their backups were corrupted or incomplete.

How to protect yourself before an attack

The best response to ransomware remains prevention. Our team supports businesses across the entire department — from Cagnes-sur-Mer to Menton, from Vence to Vallauris — to implement essential protections:

• Systematic updates of Windows, applications and network firmware
• Multi-factor authentication (MFA) on all remote access
• Network segmentation (separation of workstations, servers and backups)
• Employee training on phishing (regular attack simulations)
• EDR solution (Endpoint Detection & Response) replacing simple antivirus
• Immutable offline backups following the 3-2-1 rule

If you have damaged data or corrupted files following an attack, our data recovery service can sometimes recover some of the information. And to prevent recurrence, our managed maintenance offering includes proactive monitoring of your infrastructure.