TL;DR

• Traditional backup storages no longer protect from cyber attacks; instead, it is accessible for attackers to destroy first.
• The lack of intelligent security features in conventional backup storage led to the introduction of immutable backups, as they remain untouchable (even by admins!) during the specified retention period. 
• The lack of immutability, consistent network availability, insufficient monitoring, and poor retention management make traditional backup solutions a victim of cybercrimes.
• The following capabilities make immutable backups a strong contender in protecting against cyberattacks.
  • WORM (Write Once, Read Many) Model
  • Multifactor Authentication
  • Zero-Trust Models
  • Automated Alerts
  • Versioning Support
  • Time-Based Retention Policies
  • Air-Gapped or Isolated Storage in Different Media (both online & offline)

A Complete Guide to Using Immutable Backups Against Ransomware

While it’s essential to adopt strong endpoint protections and best security practices, achieving a full ransomware-free environment isn’t entirely possible without protecting your backup data. Attackers know that if they can corrupt or encrypt your backups alongside your production data, you have no recovery option except paying the ransom. In fact, 94% of organizations hit by ransomware in the past year reported that cybercriminals attempted to compromise their backups during the attack. 

Conventional backup processes miserably fail against these cyber-attacks. Traditional backup storage is particularly vulnerable due to weak authentication, unencrypted communications, and network-exposed admin interfaces. These exploitable vulnerabilities of traditional backup solutions make them a mutable backup that allows additions, modifications, or deletion of data even after its initial creation. 

Thus, immutability is what will drive a paradigm shift in backup storage. Data with an immutable backup cannot be modified or deleted for a defined period, even by administrators, even by the backup system itself. Even if ransomware operators achieve complete domain dominance, steal your admin credentials, or compromise your backup servers, they can’t touch the strong architecture of immutability. 

In this blog, we will discuss more about immutable backup storage, a must-have ransomware-resilient backup strategy. 

What Is an Immutable Backup?

Once your data is written as an immutable backup, nobody (not even the admin!) can delete it, change it, or shorten its lifespan. Immutable backup storage keeps your data copies frozen in an unbreakable, unchangeable state for a set period of time. 

Once written, they become read-only historical records that survive any attack, any accident, or any tampering attempt. Because of this, 81% of IT professionals now believe immutable backup storage (especially when combined with Zero Trust principles) is the best defense against ransomware.

Immutable Backups vs. Traditional Backups

Aspect	Immutable Backups	Traditional Backups
Can be deleted by admins	No, locked until retention expires	Yes, with proper credentials
Can be modified after creation	No, write-once and unchangeable	Yes, files can be altered or corrupted
Ransomware protection	Protected and cannot be touched, even with full access	Vulnerable, as attackers can encrypt/delete
Network accessibility	Often air-gapped or logically isolated	Typically, always accessible via the network
Retention enforcement	Fixed for the retention period, no exceptions	Can be changed or overridden by admins
Recovery from compromise	Succeeds as its pristine copies are always available	Fails if backups are destroyed in the attack
Primary threat model	Deliberate attacks, insider threats, and ransomware	Hardware failure, accidental deletion
Storage location	WORM storage, object lock, or hardened repositories	Usually on a writable disk/tape
Verification	Continuous cryptographic validation	Manual or periodic integrity checks
Compliance value	Meets regulatory requirements for data integrity	Basic retention only
Cost	Slightly higher due to specialized storage	Generally lower
Setup Complexity	Requires planning, but is automated once configured	Simpler, conventional approach

Why Ransomware Attacks Are Destroying Traditional Backups

Attackers often lurk in systems for weeks before an attack. They spend days or weeks quietly exploring your network. Modern ransomware operators specifically target backup storage during this period, allowing them to encrypt both your main systems and your backups simultaneously. 

While you’re busy knowing your traditional backup can save you from a hefty cyber-attack, intelligent attackers have already overwritten them with newer backups that contain the hidden malware. 

The following features contribute to critical vulnerabilities of traditional backups:

Lack of Immutability

• Anyone with the write access can delete them.
• Admin accounts have full control to destroy backups.
• No write-lock mechanism to prevent modification.

Network Connectivity (Always Online)

• Backup storage is continuously connected to the network.
• Uses standard network protocols (SMB, NFS, iSCSI).
• Accessible from compromised systems.

Insufficient Monitoring

• No alerts for unusual backup deletion
• Lack of audit trails
• No anomaly detection

Poor Retention Management

• Short retention windows (7-30 days typical)
• All backups can be compromised within the retention period
• No segregated long-term archives

How Immutable Backups Protect Your Data

The immutable backups feature strong isolation and visibility, making them immune to ransomware encryption. This protection is especially critical given that the global cost of cybercrime is projected to reach $15.63 trillion by 2029.

Here’s how they protect your data:

• Prevents Encryption and Tampering: Once created, immutable backups cannot be modified or deleted, keeping your data safe from ransomware and malicious activity.
• Ensures Reliable Recovery: Even in the event of a cyberattack, you can restore clean data, making immutable backups a vital component of comprehensive data backup and recovery solutions.
• Maintains Compliance: Tamper-proof storage helps organizations meet regulatory and audit requirements.
• Reduces Downtime and Losses: Faster recovery minimizes operational disruption and financial impact. On average, a ransomware attack causes 16.2 days of downtime, with costs reaching $9,000 per minute for SMBs and over $300,000 per hour for enterprises.

Key Features to Look for in an Immutable Data Backup Solution

Not all immutable backup solutions are made equal. You should always look for certain key features as defined below before choosing your ideal immutable storage solution: 

WORM Storage

Write Once, Read Many (WORM) model forms the basis for backup immutability. It means that no one can delete or modify the data once written, making it immune to ransomware attacks. Modern backup solutions enforce WORM technology through specialized hardware, software policies, or cloud storage services.

Time-Based Retention Policies

Unlike conventional data backup and recovery solutions, immutable backups allow time-based retention policies. You might set a 30-day lock on daily backups, or longer periods for monthly archives. This prevents anyone from prematurely deleting backups during that window, which is exactly what sophisticated ransomware tries to do. 

Air-Gapped or Isolated Storage

Air-gap storage adds an extra layer of protection to backup immutability. This isolated storage keeps backup copies logically or physically separated from your network. Thus, it could be a cloud storage with no direct network access, offline tape storage, or any separate system with limited connectivity. 

Multi-Factor Authentication and Role-Based Access

This feature ensures that everyone who has the keys or credentials cannot delete or modify backups. MFA ensures it’s really the authorized person logging in, and role-based access means your help desk staff might restore files, but only certain security admins can modify retention policies.

Versioning Support

It helps keep multiple snapshots over time. So, if a file gets corrupted on Monday but you don’t notice until Wednesday, you can go back to Sunday’s version, or even last week’s. It’s especially valuable when malware corrupts data gradually and helps you roll back to before the infection started. 

Compatibility with Existing Data Backup Solutions

That’s a good sign if an immutable backup solution can be integrated into your existing data backup solution. The aim is to invest in an immutable backup solution that supports standard protocols and does not lock you into proprietary systems. However, modern data backup solutions already come with immutable backup as a core feature. 

Best Practices for Implementing Backup Immutability

Immutable backups safeguard your data, but only when paired with strong security protocols. Our Imagine IT experts recommend implementing the following best practices to keep your data secure, tamper-proof, and reliably recoverable: 

Multifactor Authentication

Creating an essential security layer with MFA is one of the best practices while implementing backup immutability. MFA implementations could include email verifications, text message codes, hardware tokens, or biometric authentication, ensuring unauthorized users can’t enter the IT backup architecture. 

Zero-Trust Models

Even if a legitimate request is made from an internal authorization, zero-trust models are strategically designed to verify such accesses as well. It further allows internal compromised accounts from accessing sensitive backup data. 

3-2-1-1-0 Backup Strategy

This approach refers to a comprehensive protection framework that involves creating three data copies on two different media channels (one copy is stored air-gapped, and another is stored off-site) with zero errors in verification testing. This multilayered strategy ensures alternative recovery sources. 

Automated Alerts

It involves automatically detecting suspicious activities, unusual patterns, failed authentication attempts, or any unexpected access to data. This security practice triggers immediate alerts, allowing for rapid action to combat potential threats. 

Also Read: 10 Best Data Security Solutions to Protect Sensitive Information

Conclusion

Ransomware attackers are getting more sophisticated, more persistent, and more ruthless in their attempts to encrypt your data and hold it hostage. That’s precisely why immutable backups have become non-negotiable in modern data protection strategies.

They remain locked and untouchable for a specified period, unlike the traditional backups that can be deleted or corrupted by ransomware. While implementing immutability in your current backup infrastructure is one of the robust security steps, you still need strong endpoint protections, or network segmentation, etc., for complete protection. 

We’d recommend you ask the following questions of your current backup infrastructure.

• Does it include immutability features?
• Are those backups truly isolated from your production environment?
• Can they be recovered quickly when you need them most?

If you’re answering ‘no’ to any of these questions, it’s time to have a serious conversation with your IT team and consider immutable backups as part of your defense-in-depth strategy.

Maintaining Immutable Data Backup Solutions With Imagine IT

At Imagine IT, we offer immutable and air-gapped storage solutions, leveraging encrypted cloud infrastructure to ensure your data remains protected even during attacks. As leading cybersecurity solution providers, we understand that protecting your backup infrastructure is just as critical as securing your production environment. This makes immutable backups a non-negotiable component of your ransomware defense strategy.

Our team delivers robust cybersecurity solutions, helping organizations safeguard their critical data against evolving threats. Contact us today to learn more about Imagine IT’s capabilities in the implementation of immutable backup solutions!

Corporate Headquarters: 952-905-3700

Toll Free: 866-978-3600

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Are immutable backups expensive?

Ans. The cost depends on your implementation approach, data volumes, and how long you need to retain backups. Yes, immutable storage typically costs more than traditional solutions, but consider what you’d lose in a ransomware attack or pay in regulatory fines.

Q2. How long should backups remain immutable?

Ans. In its ransomware-resistant backups guide, the National Cyber Security Center stated that it’s up to the system owners to decide the duration of backup retention. Yet, they have also mentioned that their backup retention policies should be set in alignment with the backup schedule and the type of data and its related goals. 

Q3. Can cloud storage support immutability?

Ans. Yes, all major cloud platforms, including Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage, IBM Cloud, and Wasabi, offer native immutability features. Cloud immutability works through features like AWS S3 Object Lock, Azure Immutable Blob Storage, and similar capabilities that prevent backups from being modified or deleted during your specified retention window.

Q4. Does immutability slow down recovery?

Ans. Immutable backups help increase recovery speed because you can be confident that your recovery point is genuine and uncompromised, allowing for faster and more reliable system restoration.