Ransomware attacks rarely begin with chaos. More often, they start quietly – with probing, mapping, and patient reconnaissance inside a target’s network.
That was the situation facing a global recruitment firm when cybercriminals attempted to navigate through the company’s systems. What followed became a real-world demonstration of how modern AI-driven cybersecurity, combined with skilled human intervention, can stop an attack before it escalates into a business crisis. At the centre of the response was NEC XON and its Managed XDR service powered by Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR.
Cyber attackers stopped in real time
A High-Value Target for Cybercriminals
“International recruitment firms are particularly attractive targets for ransomware operators,” says Armand Kruger, NEC XON head of Cyber Security. “Their systems contain highly sensitive candidate data, employment records, client agreements, and workforce intelligence spanning multiple countries and jurisdictions. For attackers, disrupting those operations can create enormous pressure to pay a ransom quickly.”
