• Posted by: Eng. Donya Bino
• October 20, 2025

The Day a Small Business Lost Everything to Ransomware

It started with a simple email.
No flashing red warnings, no shady sender name ,  just a normal message that looked like it came from their bank. The subject line read: “Payment verification needed.”

The accountant clicked it without thinking. It downloaded a file named “invoice_update.zip.” She opened it. Nothing seemed to happen, so she moved on with her day.

By the next morning, everything on their company network, every document, every client folder, every invoice, was encrypted. The screens across the office showed the same message:

“Your files have been locked. Pay 3 Bitcoin to regain access.”

Panic followed. Phones rang nonstop. The owner called the IT guy, who couldn’t do much. Their backups? Stored on the same network. Also encrypted. Within hours, years of work were gone.

They were a small business, 15 employees, family-run. They had loyal clients and a good reputation. But in a few days, that reputation crumbled. Orders were delayed. Customer data was lost. Trust was broken.

The owner tried everything, hired experts, reached out to law enforcement, even considered paying the ransom. But the hackers vanished after taking the payment. The company never got its files back.

I still remember what the owner said later:

“We thought ransomware was something that happened to big companies, not to people like us.”

That line sticks with me. Because that’s the trap so many fall into thinking they’re too small to be noticed. The truth is, small and mid-sized businesses are often the easiest targets. They’re busy, understaffed, and rarely prepared for an attack.

All it took was one email, one click.

What We Can Learn

1. Backups should be offline or cloud-isolated. If they’re connected, they’ll get encrypted too.
2. Regular training saves companies. Employees need to recognize fake emails and suspicious links.
3. Have an incident response plan. Knowing what to do in the first few hours can make all the difference.

This story isn’t about fear , it’s about awareness.
Ransomware doesn’t just steal data; it steals time, trust, and peace of mind. But awareness, preparation, and smart habits can stop it from happening again.