Ransomware attacks targeting SAP systems are increasing worldwide, and SAP landscapes are uniquely vulnerable due to their complexity, integration points, and business-critical data.

A strong defense requires a multi-layered, SAP-specific security strategy combining hardening, monitoring, network segmentation, incident response, and continuous governance.

Below is a complete SAP-focused ransomware prevention plan.

1. Governance & Security Framework

Establish SAP Security Governance

Define SAP Security Officer or SAP CISO role.

Build an SAP Cybersecurity Steering Committee involving:

Basis

SAP Security/GRC

Network/SOC teams

Business owners

Infrastructure/AWS/Azure teams

Align to standards:

NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF)

ISO 27001

SAP Secure Operations Map

Create SAP-Specific Policies

SAP transport governance

Patch management policy

Password/multi-factor authentication (MFA) rules

2. Hardening of SAP Applications

2.1 Patch Management (ABAP + Java + HANA)

  • Apply SAP Security Notes monthly (SAP "Security Patch Day").
  • Patch SAP Kernel & ICM.
  • Patch HANA Database (rev levels) and host OS.
  • Enable SUM vulnerability scans in upgrades.

2.2 Secure SAP Profiles

Apply SAP standard recommendations:

  • login/min_password_lng
  • login/password_compliance
  • icm/HTTPS/verify_client
  • Disable RFC callbacks unless necessary.

2.3 Remove Dangerous Default Accounts

  • Lock or delete:
  • SAPCPIC
  • EARLYWATCH
  • DDIC (client 000 only)
  • TMSADM (protect strongly)

2.4 Enforce MFA

  • For:
  • SAP GUI (via SSO2 or Identity Provider)
  • SAP Fiori / Web Access
  • SAP HANA Cockpit / DB access
  • SAProuter access

3. Protect SAP HANA Against Ransomware

3.1 HANA Hardening

  • Disable OS-level login for adm users using passwords (force SSH key).
  • Enable HANA Native Auditing.
  • Enforce encryption:
  • Data-at-rest
  • Redo logs
  • Backups
  • Protect SYSTEMDB:
  • Strong SYSTEM password rotation
  • Disable SYSTEM direct login unless needed

3.2 Restrict Direct Access

  • No direct DB access from application servers except required technical users.
  • Block SQL ports from non-SAP servers.

4. Network Segmentation & Zero Trust for SAP

4.1 Segmentation

  • Create isolated network zones:
  • Presentation tier
  • Application tier
  • DB tier
  • Admin networks
  • Use cloud-native segmentation (AWS Security Groups / Azure NSGs).

4.2 SAProuter / Reverse Proxy

  • Protect SAP systems from inbound traffic.
  • Block direct access to SAP application servers.

4.3 Zero Trust Controls

  • Limit lateral movement:
  • Use PAM/Bastion hosts for all admin access.
  • Remove shared admin accounts.

5. Backup, DR, and Recovery (Critical for Ransomware)

5.1 Immutable Backups

Implement:

  • AWS S3 Object Lock
  • Azure Immutable Blob Storage
  • HANA Backint with immutability

5.2 Offline Backups

  • Weekly/biweekly cold backups stored offline.

5.3 Backup Validation

  • Restore tests every quarter.

5.4 System Replication

  • HANA System Replication (HSR) with logreplay
  • Validate:
  • RTO (Recovery Time Objective)
  • RPO (Recovery Point Objective)

6. Monitoring & Threat Detection

6.1 SIEM + SAP Alerts

Integrate SAP logs with:

  • Splunk
  • Microsoft Sentinel
  • AWS Security Lake

Monitor:

  • Failed logins
  • RFC calls
  • Apparent brute-force attacks
  • Suspicious transports
  • Mass deletions
  • Unauthorized config changes

6.2 SAP Enterprise Threat Detection (ETD)

If budget allows:

  • Detect real-time anomalies on SAP ABAP/HANA.

6.3 Dynatrace / Luumen / SolarWinds

  • Detect CPU/network patterns typical of ransomware behavior

(rapid encryption-like disk operations).

7. Secure Integrations & Interfaces

7.1 Protect External Interfaces

  • PI/PO/BTP interfaces must be encrypted.
  • Disable older protocols (SOAP with no HTTPS).

7.2 API Security

  • Use API Management with rate limits.
  • Monitor for abnormal traffic spikes.

8. Transport Security & Change Control

8.1 Prevent Malicious Transports

  • Enable SAP CTS+ integrity checks.
  • Require peer reviews for all transports.
  • Block SE06 access in production.

8.2 Track Sensitive Changes

Use:

  • GRC Access Control
  • Security Audit Log
  • SAP Solution Manager/Focused Insights

9. Endpoint & OS-Level Protection

Linux/Windows Hardening

  • Apply OS hardening benchmarks (CIS).
  • Install EDR/XDR agents:
  • CrowdStrike
  • SentinelOne
  • Microsoft Defender ATP
  • Prevent direct access to /usr/sap/ except required accounts.

Protect SAP directories

Ransomware commonly targets:

  • /usr/sap/*
  • HANA volumes (/hana/data, /hana/log)

Use:

  • Read-only snapshots
  • File system immutability

10. Incident Response Plan (SAP-Specific)

Document exact actions for:

  1. System freezing/isolation
  2. Locking SAP users system-wide
  3. Shutting down compromised SAP application servers
  4. Renaming SAP services to prevent restart
  5. Restoring from immutable backups
  6. Communication to executives and business teams
  7. Re-validating system integrity

Create a dedicated SAP IR playbook:

  • HANA IR procedures
  • AS ABAP/AS Java shutdown protocols
  • Integration layer validation checklist (PI/PO/BTP)

11. Quarterly Testing & Continuous Improvement

Quarterly:

  • DR drills
  • Penetration testing against SAP
  • HANA restore tests
  • Patch compliance review

Annually:

  • Full SAP security audit
  • Controls maturity assessment
  • SIEM content tuning

Summary

To defend SAP systems against ransomware, your plan must include:

✔ Governance & policies

✔ SAP system hardening

✔ HANA security & encryption

✔ Zero Trust & segmentation

✔ Immutable backups + HSR

✔ Continuous monitoring & SIEM

✔ Secure interfaces

✔ Change control & transport integrity

✔ OS-level protection

✔ SAP-specific incident response

A ransomware-safe SAP architecture is layered, monitored, and resilient, with robust restore capabilities and no single point of failure.