Your data back.
No ransom required.Our internal R&D team researches every major ransomware variant to exploit weaknesses in encryption, key management, and file handling — recovering data without paying threat actors.
Proven Data has been recovering ransomware-encrypted data since 2011. Our proprietary recovery techniques achieve an 80%+ success rate across all ransomware families — often restoring files faster than a full TA negotiation and decryption cycle. When recovery is possible, it eliminates the legal, ethical, and financial complexities of ransom payment entirely.
Core Capabilities
R&D-driven recovery, no ransom required.
Three integrated disciplines power our industry-leading recovery success rate — from deep encryption research through rapid data delivery.
R&D Lab Analysis
Our dedicated R&D team reverse-engineers every major ransomware variant. We discover and catalog weaknesses in encryption implementations, key generation, and file handling that create recovery opportunities other firms miss.
- Continuous reverse engineering of active ransomware families
- Encryption weakness discovery and exploitation development
- Key generation flaw analysis across variant evolution
- Proprietary recovery tool development per variant
- Collaboration with decryption tool repositories and threat researchers
Data Recovery Engineering
Beyond encryption exploitation, we apply deep data recovery techniques — rebuilding files from backup fragments, shadow copies, unencrypted sectors, and partial encryption patterns that ransomware leaves behind.
- Shadow copy carving and reconstruction
- Backup fragment identification and merging
- Unencrypted offset extraction from partially encrypted files
- Database and accounting software specialized recovery
- Virtual machine disk reconstruction (VMDK, VHD, VHDX)
Rapid Assessment & Delivery
Every minute of downtime costs money. Our assessment pipeline identifies recovery viability within hours — not days — and our parallel recovery workflows restore the most critical data first.
- Same-day recovery viability assessment for most variants
- Priority-based recovery: critical systems and data first
- Parallel recovery workflows across multiple data stores
- Automated scanning with human operator validation
- Secure data delivery with integrity verification
Recovery Techniques
How we get your data back.
Our R&D team has developed proprietary recovery techniques that exploit weaknesses across the entire ransomware lifecycle.
Encryption Weakness Exploitation
Many ransomware variants contain flaws in their encryption implementation — partial encryption modes, weak key generation, predictable IVs, or reused keys across files. Our R&D team identifies and exploits these weaknesses to recover data without any decryption key from the threat actor.
Shadow Copy & Snapshot Recovery
Ransomware routinely attempts to delete Volume Shadow Copies and system snapshots, but deletion is often incomplete. We carve residual shadow copy data from raw disk, reconstruct partial snapshots, and extract clean file versions from before the encryption event.
Backup System Recovery
When backup infrastructure is targeted, we recover data from deleted backup catalogs, corrupted backup chains, and partially destroyed backup repositories. We reconstruct backup indexes, identify surviving data blocks, and merge fragments into recoverable files.
Unencrypted Offset Merging
Many ransomware variants only encrypt portions of large files — the header, the first N megabytes, or every Nth block. We identify the encrypted regions, extract unencrypted portions, and merge them with data from backups, incremental copies, or VM snapshots to reconstruct complete files.
Database & Application Recovery
SQL Server, QuickBooks, Sage, and other business-critical databases have complex internal structures that create unique recovery opportunities. We exploit database page structures, transaction logs, and application-specific file formats to recover data even from heavily encrypted database files.
Virtual Machine Reconstruction
Hypervisor environments (VMware, Hyper-V) store data in structured disk formats. We recover VMs from partially encrypted VMDK/VHD/VHDX files, reconstruct VM configurations, and extract data directly from virtual disk structures — bypassing the need for a running guest OS.
Speed Advantage
Often faster than paying. Always safer.
The typical ransom negotiation, payment, and decryption cycle takes 5-14 days — assuming the decryptor works correctly (it often doesn't). Our recovery process frequently restores critical data in 2-5 days, without any of the legal, compliance, or re-infection risks that come with threat actor interaction.
Ransom Payment Path
Steps
- Negotiate with TA
- Legal/OFAC review
- Crypto procurement
- Payment execution
- Receive decryptor
- Fix bad decryptor
- Decrypt & verify
Risks
- OFAC sanctions risk
- Decryptor may fail
- Funds future attacks
- Re-infection risk
- No data integrity guarantee
Recovery Path
Steps
- Assess variant
- Identify recovery vectors
- Execute recovery
- Verify integrity
- Deliver clean data
Advantages
- No ransom paid
- No TA interaction
- No legal exposure
- Verified data integrity
- Zero re-infection risk
No ransom. No TA interaction. No re-infection risk. When recovery is possible, it eliminates every legal, ethical, and financial risk that comes with paying.
Our Process
From first call to full resolution.
Our structured process ensures nothing falls through the cracks — every phase has defined objectives, deliverables, and handoffs.
Assessment
0–4 hoursSubmit encrypted samples and ransom notes. Our team identifies the exact variant, checks our R&D database for known weaknesses, and provides a preliminary recovery viability assessment.
Analysis
4–24 hoursDeep technical analysis of the encryption implementation. We test recovery vectors, evaluate backup and shadow copy availability, and identify the optimal recovery approach for your specific situation.
Recovery
1–5 daysExecute the recovery plan using our proprietary tools and techniques. Critical data is prioritized. Progress is reported in real time through the Lynx platform.
Validation
4–8 hoursEvery recovered file undergoes integrity verification. Database files are tested for consistency. Application data is validated against expected structures.
Delivery
1 dayRecovered data is delivered through secure channels with full chain-of-custody documentation. We provide guidance on safe restoration procedures and post-recovery system hardening.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
Our overall recovery rate across all methods is 80%+. This includes cases where we exploit encryption weaknesses, recover from backups, carve shadow copies, and merge unencrypted file segments. The rate varies by ransomware variant — some families have known weaknesses we can reliably exploit, while newer or more sophisticated variants may require alternative recovery approaches.
Client Experiences
Trusted by businesses when it matters most.
“Proven Data recovered our entire accounting database from a LockBit attack without paying a cent in ransom. Their R&D team found a weakness in the encryption that our previous forensics vendor said was unrecoverable.”
CFO
Manufacturing Company
LockBit Recovery“We had a BlackCat infection across 40 servers. Proven Data recovered 95% of our data from shadow copies and backup fragments in 3 days. The alternative was a $250,000 ransom with no guarantee the decryptor would work.”
IT Director
Healthcare Organization
BlackCat Recovery“As an MSP, when our client got hit with Akira, we needed a partner who could recover data fast. Proven Data had our client back online in 48 hours through their proprietary recovery tools. No ransom, no downtime drama.”
Service Delivery Manager
Managed Service Provider
Akira RecoveryFull-Spectrum Response
Related Services
Our services work together to cover every phase of an incident — from first response through full recovery.
Ransomware encrypted your data? Let's get it back.
Submit encrypted file samples for a free recovery assessment. Our R&D team will analyze the variant, identify recovery vectors, and provide a realistic assessment of what we can recover — before you consider paying ransom.
1 (877) 364-5161