Rapid Tape Data Recovery: Logistics Company hit by Ransomware Attack

Overview

A large logistics company faced a crippling ransomware attack that targeted its critical backup infrastructure. In an effort to prevent recovery, the attackers accessed the company’s tape library and quick formatted 49 LTO 9 backup tapes, aiming to make the stored Veeam backups inaccessible. With operations at risk and data critical to business continuity, the company turned to Ontrack Data Recovery for an urgent solution.

The Challenge

The ransomware attack left the organization unable to access vital backup data. By quick formatting the LTO 9 tapes, the attackers had overwritten key tape structures, rendering the company’s Veeam backup software unable to recognize or read the original data.

Quick Format of Magnetic Tape

For the logistics provider, this meant:

Immediate disruption to business continuity, with operations dependent on data stored in the Veeam backups.

Potential permanent loss of critical files, including logistics schedules, client data, and regulatory records.

High financial and reputational risk, as prolonged downtime could impact delivery operations and client trust.

The challenge was not just recovering files but doing so quickly and securely, despite the intentional sabotage of the tape structures.

The Solution

Ontrack’s experts began with a comprehensive evaluation of the affected 49 LTO 9 tapes. The analysis confirmed that the quick format had updated tape structures, preventing normal access to the data.

Leveraging decades of expertise in tape recovery, Ontrack implemented a tailored, multi-step recovery strategy:

Physical and Virtual Modifications – Engineers developed a hybrid approach, using both physical techniques and virtual reconstructions to bypass the corrupted structures.
Forensic Imaging – Ontrack created forensic images of each tape, preserving all remaining data for secure recovery.
Advanced Data Reconstruction – With the imaged tapes, Ontrack successfully restored the original structures, enabling access to the Veeam backups.
Targeted Data Extraction – Ontrack then extracted the full file data from the Veeam backups, ensuring the client regained access to critical information.

The Results

Through Ontrack’s intervention, the logistics company was able to:

Recover critical data from all 49 formatted tapes.

Restore access to original Veeam backups, ensuring no permanent data loss.

Minimize business disruption, enabling the company to resume operations faster than anticipated.

Avoid significant financial and reputational damage that could have resulted from prolonged downtime.

Conclusion

This case demonstrates how Ontrack Data Recovery combines forensic expertise, innovative techniques, and specialized tools to overcome even the most deliberate attempts to prevent data recovery. By restoring the logistics company’s Veeam backups after a targeted ransomware attack, Ontrack helped ensure the continuity of critical business operations.

Ontrack remains the trusted partner for organizations facing complex data recovery challenges — from ransomware attacks to physical media failures — delivering solutions when they matter most.

More about:

Damaged backup recovery

Ransomware recovery

Backup tape services

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