Ransomware Protection for SMBs

Stop Ransomware Before It Encrypts Your Files

Most small business IT teams have antivirus. Some have EDR. Neither stops ransomware once it reaches the encryption process. Heimdal Ransomware Encryption Protection (REP) blocks encryption attempts in real time, works alongside your existing tools, and requires no dedicated security analyst to run.

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See how REP helps stop a Ransomware Attack

Key Features

The Encryption Layer Your Antivirus Leaves Unprotected

Your AV Catches Malware. It Does Not Catch What Comes After.

Most antivirus tools and EDRs catch ransomware at the point of entry. The encryption phase begins after that entry point. By the time your AV fires, the malware has already used legitimate system tools to start locking your files. REP X monitors the encryption process itself. The Encryption Engine detects and blocks unauthorised file encryption in real time, on local drives and in the cloud. The Rename Engine catches ransomware trying to disguise what it has done by altering file extensions. Two of the four detection engines are watching the attack phase your current stack was never designed to cover. That gap is exactly where ransomware does its damage.

Ransomware Deletes Your Shadow Copies First. REP X Watches for That.

Modern ransomware variants target your VSS shadow copies before they start encrypting files. They know your recovery plan depends on those backups. Deleting them first is not an oversight, it is the attack. Less than 14% of businesses relying only on backups fully restore their data after a ransomware incident. REP X's Shadow Copy Engine monitors for these deletion attempts and blocks them. Your recovery options stay intact even when an attack is in progress. The Canary Engine runs alongside it. REP X plants decoy files across your system. If ransomware touches those files, the engine fires before your real data is reached. Canary files catch it before your real files are touched.

It Spread to the File Server Before Anyone Could Stop It. Automatic Isolation Changes That.

Without automatic isolation, a ransomware attack on one machine relies on your IT team to respond fast enough to stop it spreading. Most do not find out for hours. By then, shared drives and network paths have already been hit. REP X isolates the infected endpoint automatically the moment an attack is confirmed. No analyst required. The machine is cut off from the network before the infection moves. The rest of your organisation keeps working. You get the alert. You open the attack chain report. Everything that happened is already logged.

Your Cyber Insurance Renewal Is About to Ask Questions Your Stack Cannot Answer.

After a ransomware event, you need to report to regulators within 72 hours under GDPR Article 33. Your insurer needs evidence of your controls. Your board wants to know the scope. Without granular attack chain logs, the answer is: we don't know exactly what happened. REP X captures every detail of a ransomware attempt. Process hashes, callbacks, signatures, and timelines are logged automatically. The attack chain is mapped visually so you can see where it started, what it touched, and what was stopped. Compliance-ready reporting is built in for GDPR, NIS2, ISO 27001, and NIST.

Key benefits

Built for Businesses, Whether You Have a Security Team or Not

Most small businesses are not hit by ransomware because attackers specifically targeted them. They are hit because their stack had a gap that credential theft or a phishing link could walk through. The tools they were paying for did their job. They just were not designed to stop what comes next. REP X adds the missing layer. It runs alongside what you already have, stops the encryption before data is lost, and handles its own response without requiring anyone to watch a dashboard.

No Rip and Replace. No New Conflicts.

REP X works alongside your existing antivirus and EDR from day one. Whether you are running Microsoft Defender, Sophos, Bitdefender, or another NGAV, REP X adds a dedicated encryption-blocking layer without touching your current setup. One lightweight deployment. No new agent conflicts. If you already have the basics covered, REP X fills the gap your current tools were never built for.

Four Engines. One Layer of Defence.

REP X does not rely on a single detection method. Encryption Engine, Rename Engine, Shadow Copy Engine, and Canary Engine work together. An attacker that evades one faces three more. This is why REP X has been validated against more than 800 ransomware samples. Most tools catch the ransomware payload. REP X catches the attack phase that follows.

The Proof Your Insurer and Your Auditor Are About to Ask For.

Cyber insurance renewals and NIS2 supply chain questionnaires now ask for specific evidence of ransomware controls. Not a checkbox. Evidence: event logs, attack timelines, isolation records. REP X produces that evidence automatically. Every attempted attack is logged with the detail you need to report, respond, and demonstrate control. You do not have to rebuild the story after the fact. The record is already there.

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Ransomware Protection for Small Businesses - FAQs

What is ransomware?

Ransomware is malicious software that encrypts your files and locks you out of them until you pay. It enters through a phishing email, a stolen password, or an unpatched vulnerability, then moves quietly through your systems before triggering the encryption.

The attack gives you no good options. Pay, and there is no guarantee the decryption key works. Do not pay, and you rebuild from whatever backups remain. Modern ransomware deletes those first.

A single infected laptop can reach shared drives, cloud-synced folders, and servers before your IT team knows anything is wrong.

Why do businesses need to defend against ransomware?

Because the consequences go well beyond losing files. A ransomware attack shuts your business down completely. Recovery takes days at minimum. For a small business without the reserves to absorb that, it can be fatal. Reports suggest 60% of SMBs hit by ransomware shut down within six months.

There is also a legal dimension. Under GDPR, a breach involving personal data must be reported to your supervisory authority within 72 hours. NIS2 extends similar obligations to businesses in the supply chains of regulated industries. Without granular event logs, that reporting becomes its own crisis.

Cyber insurers now ask for evidence of specific ransomware controls before issuing or renewing policies. For most businesses, this is no longer optional.

I already have antivirus and Microsoft Defender. Am I not already protected?

Partially. The gap is where most ransomware attacks do their damage.

Antivirus and EDR tools catch malware at the point of entry. Modern ransomware increasingly bypasses that entirely. Attackers use stolen credentials or legitimate Windows tools — PowerShell, remote desktop, scheduled tasks — to move through your environment without dropping a single file your antivirus can scan. By the time encryption starts, the entry point was already missed.

REP X does not replace Defender or your antivirus. It adds a dedicated layer watching the encryption process itself. Your existing tools cover the entry. REP X covers what comes after.

Will my backups save me if ransomware hits?

Not reliably. Current ransomware is specifically designed to prevent it.

Modern ransomware deletes your Volume Shadow Copies before encrypting files. That step is deliberate. By the time encryption starts, your on-device recovery options are already gone. Files synced to OneDrive or SharePoint before detection may have been overwritten with encrypted versions. Less than 14% of businesses relying only on backups are able to fully restore their data after a ransomware incident.

Good backups still matter. But they are not a substitute for stopping the encryption before it starts.

Why would ransomware attackers target a small business?

Because small businesses are easier targets, not less valuable ones.

Large enterprises have dedicated security teams and incident response plans. Small businesses typically do not. Attackers running automated campaigns at scale look for the path of least resistance. If your business is a supplier to a larger organisation, you may also represent a route into a higher-value target — which is exactly the attack vector NIS2 supply chain requirements are designed to address.

The assumption that your business is too small to be worth targeting is one of the most common and most costly positions an IT manager can hold.

Does REP X work alongside my existing security tools, or do I need to replace them?

No rip and replace. REP X works alongside what you already have.

It adds a dedicated encryption-blocking layer without touching your current antivirus or EDR setup. One lightweight deployment, no agent conflicts. It fills the gap your existing tools were never built for.

For businesses that want more, REP X integrates into Heimdal’s broader XDR platform. But standalone deployment is fully supported from day one.

What happens when REP X detects a ransomware attempt?

It detects, blocks, and contains — without waiting for a human to act.

The moment an engine identifies ransomware behaviour, the encryption attempt is blocked and the infected endpoint is automatically isolated from the network, stopping lateral spread before it reaches other machines.

REP X simultaneously logs the full attack chain — process hashes, callbacks, signatures, timeline — so the record is ready for your investigation, your insurer, or a regulatory report. You get the alert. By the time you open it, the threat is contained.

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