If you've ever wondered why so many companies “go down” on a Saturday night or during a long weekend… it’s not bad luck. For ransomware attackers, the weekend is prime territory. Fewer people are online, alerts are reviewed more slowly, and in general, the most sensitive systems (especially identity and access) are left with fewer eyes on them.
In fact, several reports agree on one thing: a significant number of ransomware attacks are launched on weekends or holidays. Why? Simple: if the team is operating on “minimum guard,” the attacker has more time to move quietly, escalate privileges, and set up the hit before anyone notices.
And beware—risk spikes even more when the company is in “transition mode”: mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, migrations, system changes… all of these tend to create small cracks.
When merging environments, moving users, inheriting permissions, or connecting identities, it’s common for inconsistencies to appear. And guess who thrives on finding those gaps? Hackers. As soon as they detect a weakness, they speed up. That’s why at TecnetOne, we take identity and access protection seriously—and ensure fast response, even after hours.
Ransomware is a type of attack in which cybercriminals hijack information (for example, by encrypting files or blocking systems) and then demand a ransom to “release” access. In many modern cases, in addition to encryption, attackers apply double or even triple extortion: they also steal data and threaten to publish it or target clients/suppliers.
So, why the weekend?
Fewer people watching: IT team coverage drops.
Slower response times: if an alert comes in at 2:00 a.m. on a Sunday, the reaction time is typically longer.
Processes are “on pause”: fewer controlled changes, less escalation, less human validation. That creates windows for attackers to advance.
In short: when your defenses slow down, the attacker speeds up.
One key idea is that ransomware isn’t just “a virus.” Many modern campaigns are based on compromising identities (users, privileges, service accounts). Many companies already have detection systems for identity threats, but the problem lies in remediation: it’s not enough to see the problem—you have to fix it fast.
Because with a valid account (especially one with privileges), they can:
Get in without “forcing” the door,
Evade much of traditional detection,
Move laterally,
Disable controls,
And prepare for mass encryption.
Most companies run an internal SOC, but the problem surfaces on weekends or holidays—coverage drops significantly. In many cases, it’s cut by at least half, and in some, there’s literally no one monitoring. And of course, to an attacker, that’s like seeing a sign that says, “Back on Monday.”
The reason? It’s usually not negligence—it’s human nature: work-life balance, office hours, or the still-common mindset in some organizations that “nothing’s likely to happen after hours.” The problem is, that assumption no longer holds true. Ransomware groups are precisely waiting for those moments of lower vigilance to move quietly, gain access, and prepare the strike.
Automation helps (alerts, outsourced monitoring, triage), but it has its limits: if too much time passes without anyone reviewing identity and access, the attacker can move forward unchallenged. And in ransomware, that “dead time” is often incredibly costly.
That’s why many companies are moving to a SOC as a Service model to fill those gaps without burning out the internal team. For example, with a SOC as a Service like TecnetOne’s, you get continuous monitoring, real triage (not just alerts), and most importantly, support for remediation.
From quickly containing the incident (isolating, blocking access, halting unusual movement) to guiding key corrections like privilege adjustments, MFA reinforcement, endpoint hardening, and backup validation. The idea is simple: not just spot the problem, but act in time—even if the attack hits on the weekend.
Today, identity security is a standard part of ransomware defense: many organizations detect threats, run scans, and review vulnerabilities to reduce the risk of credential abuse.
The big “but” comes afterward: spotting the risk doesn’t eliminate it. Without a clear remediation process (fixing permissions, closing access paths, adjusting policies, removing stale accounts), that door stays open. And the attacker doesn’t need ten doors—just one.
The same goes for recovery. Many companies have disaster plans for traditional systems, but when it comes to recovering identity (especially Active Directory and, to a lesser extent, cloud identities), the process is often incomplete or too manual. The result? Slow restorations, more downtime, and greater impact. In these incidents, how fast you recover identities defines how quickly the business gets back on track.
During mergers or integrations, the focus is usually on business, costs, and operations… and identity gets pushed to the side. The problem is that it’s precisely during that consolidation (domains, permissions, trusts, inherited accounts) that inconsistencies arise: obsolete users, weak controls, access no one fully understands. It’s the kind of chaos attackers love.
The solution sounds simple (though execution requires discipline): include identity from the start as part of due diligence and the integration plan—not as an afterthought. That way, you can detect and fix risks before they get “cemented” into the new environment.
And yes, AI can help reduce SOC workload (triage, correlation, prioritization), but it’s not magic—it doesn’t replace human coverage at critical moments. Plus, AI introduces another factor: machine identities (bots, agents, integrations), which also need to be protected as if they were privileged accounts—because in practice, they are.
Read more: Dwell Time in Cybersecurity
Here are actionable steps, prioritized by impact:
If your SOC lets its guard down, you're accepting more risk. Options include:
Rotating shifts,
On-call coverage with clear SLAs,
Outsourced 24/7 SOC,
Incident response playbooks for identity-based attacks.
Automated alerts help, but they’re useless if no one acts in time. That’s where a SOC as a Service like TecnetOne’s adds real value: it not only monitors 24/7 but also performs real triage and supports you with containment and remediation (blocking access, isolating threats, coordinating response) so the attack doesn’t progress while your team is offline.
Enforce MFA (ideally phishing-resistant wherever possible),
Apply the principle of least privilege (no “just-in-case” admins),
Separate user accounts from privileged accounts,
Monitor changes to roles, admin groups, and conditional access policies.
A finding without a fix is an open door. Implement:
SLA-based patching and hardening,
A vulnerability backlog prioritized by exploitability,
Automatic blocking of critical risks (where applicable).
Follow the 3-2-1 rule (3 copies, 2 media types, 1 offline or immutable),
Use immutable backups or protected retention (e.g., with TecnetProtect),
Separate backup credentials from the main domain,
Test restorations regularly (don’t just say “we have a backup”—ensure it restores correctly and fast).
Include in your DR/BCP:
How to restore AD/Entra ID,
How to reissue access credentials,
How to rotate secrets and tokens,
How to validate post-restoration integrity.
If you’re going through M&A or integration:
Inventory tenants/domains,
Audit privileged accounts,
Review trusts, syncs, and connectors,
Clean up orphaned accounts and inherited permissions.
The key idea is simple: attackers strike when you lower your guard. That often happens on weekends, holidays, or during major transitions—times with fewer hands, more operational noise, and rushed decisions.
The good news? You can manage this risk effectively. By focusing on off-hours coverage, identity and access protection, fast remediation, and proven recovery plans, you significantly reduce the threat—and if an incident does occur, you bounce back faster and with less damage.
That’s exactly the kind of approach we take at TecnetOne: not just detection, but timely response and correction.