Data Recovery From Ransomware-Infected WD Hard Disk Drive

Manufacturing plants need to have seamless transitions between processes, and such transitions rely on efficient logging. But if the system that maintains all logging data gets compromised by a ransomware attack, it can slow down or completely halt the manufacturing lines. That is precisely what happened at a large packaging plant in Rajasthan recently.

Early one morning in November, the IT admin found that they had been locked out of the system—a ransom note was all they could see on the screen.

They slowed down the manufacturing lines to limit warehouse overflow and immediately reached out to Stellar Data Recovery – Gurugram. Our team arranged for a quick pickup and went into action immediately.

The Client’s Challenge

The client’s desktop drive was unexpectedly encrypted by a ransomware attack, preventing access to important production logs, inventory records, financial paperwork, and drawings (they didn’t have a recent offline backup). The manufacturing lines had to be slowed down because daily operations relied on this data, which resulted in delays and financial loss. Moreover, the client was concerned about confidential information getting leaked by the cybercriminals.

Device Specifications

• Device Type: Western Digital Purple HDD
• Capacity: 1 TB
• Issue: File access lost after a ransomware attack
• Affected Files: Production logs, inventory records, financial paperwork, and drawings

Stellar’s Approach to Recover Ransomware-Encrypted Data

• Stellar’s HDD recovery specialists started by thoroughly examining the ransomware-infected drive and identifying the scope of corruption/encryption.
• The client had shared a priority list of the files and directories they needed the most. So our team of engineers carried out proprietary extraction procedures using file signature analysis.
• We fixed header corruption manually and employed file carving and reconstruction techniques relevant to each file type.
• For the low-priority files, we carried out a thorough RAW recovery.
• We were able to successfully restore the client’s critical data with directory listing. The client also verified the integrity of the low-priority raw data.

Seek Professional Help If Your Drive Is Infected by Ransomware

Ransomware attacks lock users out of their critical data and demand large ransom in return for the decryption key. However, paying hackers does not ensure data recovery. If anything, it puts you at an increased risk of further attacks.

Moreover, there are a few legal and compliance requirements linked to ransomware attacks. Watchdogs like CERT-In have made it mandatory to report ransomware incidents and illegal to pay ransom to groups that are under global or national sanctions.

In such a scenario, Stellar’s ransomware recovery service plays a crucial role. With more than 30 years of experience in the data recovery industry, we have been successfully dealing with ransomware cases since they first started cropping up. We use time-tested, secure approaches to recover data from NAS and SAN servers, laptops, desktops, and RAID setups that have been infected by different types of ransomware.

As an ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certified service provider, data security and confidentiality are our top priorities. Every year, tens of thousands of individuals, MSMEs, MNCs, and government organizations across sectors trust us to restore access to critical data quickly and safely. So, if you have been the unfortunate victim of a ransomware attack recently, don’t panic or engage with attackers. Contact Stellar Data Recovery and let us help you regain control of your operations.

Final Words

This case emphasizes an important lesson: how you react to a ransomware attack determines the outcome. Going to a local vendor who has zero expertise in data recovery can exacerbate the damage or even render data unrecoverable, and paying attackers is never a reliable alternative. By acting immediately and choosing Stellar Data Recovery, the Rajasthan-based manufacturer was able to successfully restore access to their vital files without compromising privacy.

With decades of knowledge, cutting-edge techniques, and industry-leading success rates, Stellar assists organizations and individuals in recovering data from ransomware attacks. The lesson is straightforward: act wisely and contact a trusted service provider like Stellar Data Recovery to safeguard your data.

Interested in more challenging ransomware and RAID data recovery cases? Explore these real-world success stories, including how 58TB of critical video footage was recovered from a RAID 0 NAS, data recovery from a hacked RAID-5 server and NAS box, data recovery from a ransomware-affected virtualization system, and successful retrieval of 32TB of data after Weaxor ransomware encrypted a RAID 6 server.

To deepen your understanding of ransomware incidents, you can also read about what ransomware is, how ransomware attacks happen, and how ransomware encryption works.
For actionable guidance, refer to ransomware attack response steps, and specific insights on LockBit 3.0 ransomware.

About The Author

Nivedita Jha

Meet Nivedita, an experienced tech blogger with a passion for simplifying data recovery. Ready to guide you through digital challenges, she shares straightforward tips on various blogs. Join her for easy solutions and expert advice, ensuring your data is in safe hands!