The First 72 Hours of a Ransomware Attack: Why Restored Isn't Recovered
Datadog, Friday, October 2nd, 2026
Datadog walks through a ransomware attack's first 72 hours and why restoring servers differs from recovering the business.
Based on a webinar with CISO Florian Jorgens, Datadog follows a hypothetical ransomware incident day by day: responding in the first hours, stopping spread as the breach goes public, and restoring systems while confronting the true cost of recovery.
The post stresses that restoring servers can take weeks but recovering the business, including validating data, reconnecting dependencies and handling legal and customer impact, takes longer.
It also explains how AI-assisted investigation can help detect ransomware earlier.