The 3-2-1 Backup Rule in a Ransomware World
Modern ransomware specifically targets backups. Ensure your backup strategy accounts for today's threat landscape.
The 3-2-1 backup rule has been a foundational data protection strategy for decades: maintain three copies of data, on two different media types, with one copy stored offsite. While still relevant, modern ransomware has forced organizations to evolve this approach.
Today's ransomware operators specifically target backup infrastructure. They move laterally through networks to identify and encrypt or delete backup repositories before deploying ransomware to production systems. This means traditional 3-2-1 alone is insufficient.
An updated backup strategy should include:
- Immutable backups: Storage that cannot be modified or deleted for a defined retention period, even by administrators
- Air-gapped or isolated copies: Backups disconnected from the production network
- Regular recovery testing: Validate that backups can actually be restored within your RTO/RPO requirements
- Monitoring and alerting: Detect anomalous backup job failures or unusual data change rates
- Encryption: Ensure backup data is encrypted at rest and in transit
Realm Defense assesses your current backup posture, identifies gaps, and designs resilient strategies that account for modern threat actor behavior.