Memphis-Shelby County Schools Faced Zero-Day Ransomware. Here's What Happened Next.

Every organization hopes its security tools will stop a ransomware attack before it causes damage.

But what happens when the ransomware is completely new?

That's the question explored in our latest case study featuring Memphis-Shelby County Schools, one of the largest school districts in the United States.

Like many organizations, the district had already invested in a layered cybersecurity strategy. EDR, MDR, and other security solutions were in place to help detect and respond to threats. Rather than replacing those investments, the district added an additional layer of protection focused on preventing ransomware from encrypting its data.

When Detection Isn't the Whole Story

Modern ransomware doesn't have to bypass every security control. It only needs to complete one final step to succeed: encrypting files.

That's why Memphis-Shelby County Schools evaluated a prevention-first approach that complements traditional detection technologies.

During testing, six previously unseen ransomware variants were executed against the environment.

The outcome was revealing:

• The existing EDR solution missed four of the six zero-day ransomware variants.
• RansomSnare stopped all six before a single file could be encrypted.
• The district experienced no downtime or operational disruption.

It's a powerful reminder that while detection remains an essential part of cybersecurity, preventing encryption provides another layer of resilience when organizations need it most.

Why This Case Study Matters

Every ransomware attack is different. Attackers may use phishing emails, stolen credentials, software vulnerabilities, or other techniques to gain access.

Regardless of how an attack begins, ransomware succeeds only when it can encrypt your organization's data.

That's where RansomSnare fits into a modern security strategy.

Instead of relying on signatures or previous knowledge of a threat, RansomSnare is designed to interrupt unauthorized encryption, helping organizations stop both known and zero-day ransomware before business operations are impacted.

It isn't designed to replace EDR or MDR. It works alongside them to help prevent ransomware from disrupting your operations.

See the Full Results

The Memphis-Shelby County Schools case study takes you behind the headlines and shows how the district strengthened its ransomware defenses while continuing to leverage its existing security investments.

Read the Memphis-Shelby County Schools Case Study and see how RansomSnare helped stop zero-day ransomware before a single file was encrypted.