The Eight Pillars of Cyber Resilience
The statistics in our Ransomware Report are sobering: ransomware attacks occur roughly every 11 seconds, with 85% of organizations suffering at least one attack within a 12-month period. For IT professionals managing critical infrastructure, the question isn’t if you’ll face a cyber incident—it’s when.
The numbers are staggering: cybercrime damages are projected to reach $23 trillion annually by 2027. But beyond the headlines and statistics, this report examines the human cost—the patients unable to receive care during hospital system outages, the employees working around the clock to restore operations, and the IT leaders carrying the weight of organizational resilience on their shoulders.
That’s why we’re releasing our comprehensive Ransomware Report: The Eight Pillars of Cyber Resilience during Cybersecurity Awareness Month. This isn’t just another threat landscape overview—it’s a strategic blueprint for building true cyber resilience in an era where traditional security measures simply aren’t enough.
While most cybersecurity resources focus solely on prevention, our report takes a holistic approach. We’ve developed a cyber resilience framework that combines both preventative risk controls (cyber security) and reactive risk controls (cyber recovery) to create complete cyber resilience.
The formula is straightforward:
Cyber Security + Cyber Recovery = Cyber Resilience
But the execution requires understanding eight distinct pillars that work together to protect your organization before, during, and after an incident.
Inside the Report: the Eight Pillars
Here’s a quick overview of the eight pillars in our Ransomware Report.
Cyber Security (Preventative Controls)
- Offensive Security: Proactive vulnerability identification through penetration testing and red team exercises
- Cyber Hygiene: Building security-first culture through training and awareness programs
- Threat Intelligence: Early warning systems for emerging threats and attack vectors
- Defensive Security: Comprehensive protection across identity, network, applications, and data
Cyber Recovery (Reactive Controls)
- Monitor and Detect: Real-time security event analysis and incident detection
- Incident Response: Structured approach to containment, eradication, and initial recovery
- Offline Backups: Immutable, air-gapped data protection following the 3-2-1-1-0 rule
- Incident Recovery: Clean room enablement and systematic restoration processes
Real-world Context
The report doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities facing IT teams today. We examine how factors like supply chain complexity, the cyber skills gap, and emerging AI threats are creating unprecedented challenges. Through detailed case studies—including the devastating Prospect Medical Holdings attack that disrupted patient care across five states—we illustrate why cyber resilience has become a business-critical imperative.
One particularly compelling example involves an IT director who received “the call” at 4 a.m., which is every IT professional’s worst nightmare. His story demonstrates both the terror of facing a sophisticated ransomware attack and the relief that comes when you’re truly prepared with a comprehensive cyber resilience strategy.
Many IT pros are facing the same reality. Threats are increasing in frequency and sophistication, but your resources are remaining constant and constrained. Plus you’re being tasked with the impossible: maintain system uptime, ensure security compliance, and protect mission-critical applications.
That’s why you need to take a deep dive into our report for these resources:
- Actionable Framework: Move beyond theoretical concepts to practical implementation strategies
- Vendor-Neutral Guidance: Focus on capabilities and outcomes rather than specific products
- Regulatory Alignment: Address compliance requirements from SEC, DORA, and other emerging frameworks
- Risk Assessment Tools: Identify gaps in your current security posture
- Best Practices: Proven strategies from organizations that have successfully defended against and recovered from attacks
Get Started with Cyber Resilience
Our Ransomware Report concludes with practical next steps, including how to conduct vital data asset identification, implement the 3-2-1-1-0 backup strategy, and develop VDA-specific recovery plans. Whether you’re building a program from scratch or enhancing existing capabilities, our eight pillars provide a roadmap for comprehensive cyber resilience.
At 11:11 Systems, we’ve seen firsthand how proper preparation transforms what could be catastrophic incidents into manageable events. Our customers who’ve faced ransomware attacks have successfully maintained operations, even the IT director mentioned earlier. That’s because they understood that cyber resilience isn’t just about having the right technology. It’s about having the right strategy, executed by the right people, with the right level of preparation.
So, when your call happens, will you be ready?
Download the complete Ransomware Report.
Or get a top-level view with our Executive Summary.
