Ransomware alert: protecting small businesses
4 November 2026
Ransomware attacks against small and medium businesses in the Gulf region continue to rise. Attackers lock your files and demand payment, often in cryptocurrency, to unlock them. Many small companies wrongly believe they are too small to be a target — in fact they are attacked most often because their defences are weaker.
How ransomware gets in
- Phishing emails with fake invoices, delivery notices or shared documents
- Weak or reused passwords on remote desktop (RDP) and VPN access
- Unpatched software, routers and firewalls with known security holes
- Pirated software and cracked tools downloaded from the internet
- Infected USB drives
Warning signs
- Files suddenly renamed with strange extensions
- A text file on the desktop with payment instructions
- Computers becoming very slow while the hard drive is constantly busy
- Antivirus being switched off without explanation
10 steps to protect your business
- Keep three copies of important data, on two different types of storage, with one copy offline or in the cloud (the 3-2-1 rule)
- Test restoring backups every month — a backup you cannot restore is useless
- Turn on multi-factor authentication for email, VPN and all admin accounts
- Install Windows and software updates every month without delay
- Use a business-grade firewall such as Fortinet, Sophos or SonicWall instead of a basic home router
- Install modern endpoint protection (EDR) on every computer and server
- Never expose Remote Desktop directly to the internet
- Give staff only the access they need for their job
- Train staff to recognise phishing at least twice a year
- Write a simple incident plan: who to call, what to switch off, how to restore
If you are attacked
- Disconnect affected computers from the network immediately, but do not switch them off
- Do not pay the ransom — there is no guarantee you will get your data back
- Report the incident to the UAE Cyber Security Council and Dubai Police eCrime
- Contact your IT provider to investigate and restore from clean backups