Last updated: May 18, 2026
Ransomware attacks on Cyprus SMEs accelerated through 2025 and 2026. The good news: 90% of successful attacks exploit one of ten well-known weaknesses. Fix these and you remove the cheap, easy paths in — which is what most attackers rely on.
The 10-step Cyprus SME ransomware checklist
- Enable MFA on every account. Email, VPN, Microsoft 365, accounting software, banking. Phishing-resistant MFA where you can.
- Patch monthly. Windows, macOS, browsers, firmware. Most ransomware exploits patches that have been available for months.
- Endpoint protection on every device. Modern EDR (Microsoft Defender for Business, Sophos, SentinelOne) — not just signature antivirus.
- Immutable backups. 3-2-1 rule: 3 copies, 2 media, 1 off-site, with at least one copy ransomware cannot delete.
- Test restores quarterly. A backup you have never restored is a hope, not a backup.
- Email filtering with anti-phishing and anti-spoofing. Configure SPF, DKIM and DMARC properly. Cypriot domains are heavily spoofed.
- Remove local admin rights from regular user accounts.
- Network segmentation. Keep the accounting PC off the same flat network as guest Wi-Fi and the security cameras.
- Annual security awareness training for every staff member, in their language. Greek and English where appropriate.
- Have an incident response plan — even a one-page playbook is better than calling around at 3 AM trying to find a number.
If you are being attacked right now
Disconnect affected devices from the network (don’t power them off — that destroys forensic evidence). Call your IT partner. Preserve logs. Do not pay anything until you have spoken to a professional and considered all options.
Get a free Cyprus ransomware readiness check
30 minutes, we go through these 10 items, you get a score and a remediation list. Book it here.
AI-assisted draft, reviewed by AIT Multiverse engineers.