Data recovery FAQ: answers to your questions
Find answers from our specialists to the most frequently asked questions about data recovery: hard drive failures, SSD, RAID, USB drives, pricing, turnaround times and process. SOS Data Recovery (Tesweb SA), Swiss specialist since 2006 with over 10,000 cases handled, answers your questions.
Why consult our data recovery FAQ?
Our technicians answer the most frequently asked questions about hard drive, SSD, RAID, NAS, USB drive and memory card failures. Each answer is based on over 10,000 cases handled since 2006 and regularly updated. If you cannot find the answer to your question, contact us — free diagnosis within 3 hours.
Are you available for emergencies outside of business hours?
Yes. Our emergency hotline is accessible 24/7 for critical cases (data loss on a production server, ransomware incident, damaged media following a disaster). Call our Swiss national number directly on 0840 440 840 and specify that it is an emergency: you will be put in contact with an on-call technician.
Is it possible to recover data after a ransomware attack?
Yes, in many cases. Our team analyzes the type of ransomware and explores several approaches: recovering unencrypted files, exploiting known vulnerabilities in the encryption, restoring previous versions of the files. Each case is unique — a free diagnosis allows us to assess the chances of success.
Is it possible to recover data encrypted by ransomware without paying the ransom?
Yes, in a significant number of cases. The possibility of decryption without paying mainly depends on the type of ransomware and the existence of an exploitable cryptographic flaw.
Several recovery paths exist:
- Public decryption keys — some ransomware has been decrypted by security researchers and agencies like Europol. The No More Ransom platform (nomoreransom.org) centralizes these tools for free.
- Flaws in cryptographic implementation — some poorly programmed ransomware have vulnerabilities that allow keys to be reconstructed.
- Shadow Copies (VSS) — if the ransomware has not deleted Windows Shadow Copies, a restoration is possible.
- Unaffected backups — offline backups, NAS snapshots, or unsynchronized cloud storage.
Our laboratory analyzes each case individually. A diagnosis allows us to determine which ransomware family is involved and what decryption options are available.
What is a ransomware attack and how does it affect data?
Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts the files on a computer system, rendering them inaccessible, and then demands a ransom in exchange for the decryption key. It is one of the most widespread cyber threats: according to the ENISA 2024 report, ransomware attacks increased by 37% in Europe between 2022 and 2023.
A typical attack process unfolds in four stages:
- Infection — via phishing, unpatched vulnerability, exposed RDP, or compromised account
- Reconnaissance and propagation — the malware maps the network and spreads laterally (duration: from a few hours to several weeks)
- Encryption — files are encrypted with an asymmetric algorithm (RSA 2048 or 4096 bits) for which only the attacker possesses the private key
- Extortion — a ransom note is dropped on the system with payment instructions (usually in Bitcoin)