Schools and Public Sector Guide on the New Government Ransomware Proposals – And How Backups Fit In

Ransomware has become one of the most serious cyber threats facing businesses, governments, and public sector organisations globally. The recent UK government proposal to ban public sector bodies, including schools, from paying ransomware ransoms is a significant step in tackling this issue. But while this move may deter cybercriminals from targeting essential services, it also creates a crucial need for these organisations to have reliable and secure backup systems in place.

What Are the New Government Ransomware Proposals?

The UK government has published new measures aimed at reducing the impact of ransomware on public services, which include:

A Ban on Ransomware Payments for the Public Sector:

Public sector bodies, including schools, will be prohibited from paying ransomware criminals in exchange for their data. This aims to make these targets less appealing to cybercriminals by eliminating the potential for monetary gain.

Ransomware Payment Prevention Regime:

This regime will increase transparency around criminal demands and provide victims with guidance before they decide how to respond to an attack.

Mandatory Ransomware Reporting:

All ransomware incidents will need to be reported to authorities, improving law enforcement’s ability to track and disrupt cybercriminal networks.

While these measures are designed to protect public sector organisations (and tax payers), they also highlight a major vulnerability: if your organisation is attacked, and you can’t pay the ransom, you’ll need to rely on a solid backup to recover your data.

Why Backups Are Critical Under the New Proposals

If your organisation doesn’t have a robust data backup plan in place, the consequences of a ransomware attack could be devastating. Here’s why:

Guaranteed Recovery Without Paying Ransom:

The new law means schools, councils, and other public bodies will no longer be able to pay criminals to recover their data. Having reliable backups ensures that data can be restored quickly and without relying on attackers.

Minimise Downtime and Disruption:

Schools are increasingly digital and rely on online systems for administrative tasks, learning resources, and communication. Without a quick recovery option, downtime can disrupt operations and impact both staff and students. A solid backup solution allows for rapid recovery, ensuring business continuity.

Compliance and Data Sovereignty:

Many schools and public sector bodies must comply with strict data protection regulations, such as GDPR and DfE guidelines. Having a reliable backup solution ensures that your organisation can meet these compliance requirements and avoid the serious repercussions of data loss.

Prevent Long-Term Financial Losses:

Aside from the immediate cost of recovery, a ransomware attack without a backup plan could lead to long-term financial losses, reputational damage, and a loss of trust from students and the wider community.

Immutable Backups for Enhanced Protection:

Even if you have a backup system in place, you need to ensure that those backups are immutable – meaning they cannot be altered, deleted, or encrypted by ransomware. A growing trend among ransomware attacks is to first encrypt data and then target backups, either by deleting or encrypting them as well. This renders your backup system useless when you need it most.

BackupVault’s cloud-based backup solution includes immutable backups, ensuring that your data is safe from ransomware that might attempt to change or delete your backup files.

How BackupVault Can Help

BackupVault offers a secure, fully-managed cloud backup service that protects your data with encrypted backups stored in ISO-certified UK data centres. Our solution provides:

• Point-in-time restore – ensuring you can recover to the exact moment before an attack occurred.
• Full platform backup – including Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, servers, and endpoints.
• Complete compliance with GDPR, Cyber Essentials, and ISO 27001 standards.
• Immutable backups – ensuring your backups cannot be tampered with or deleted, even in the event of a ransomware attack.
• Dedicated 24/7 UK-based support – available whenever you need it.

With BackupVault, your school or public sector organisation can protect its critical data, ensuring business continuity even in the face of cyber threats.

Don’t wait until it’s too late. Start your free trial of BackupVault today and discover how our secure cloud backup solutions can help you stay protected against ransomware threats.