Google Drive gets AI-powered ransomware detection
According to Google , it is putting security measures in place on Google Drive that leverages AI to detect ransomware. It then attempts to stop it before it disrupts users and organizations.
Google says, “We’ve built a specialized AI model, trained on millions of real-world ransomware samples, to look for signals that a file has been maliciously modified. The detection engine adapts to novel ransomware by continuously analyzing file changes and incorporating new threat intelligence from VirusTotal. When Drive detects unusual activity that suggests a ransomware attack, it automatically pauses syncing of affected files, helping to prevent widespread data corruption across an organization’s Drive and the disruption of work.”
After that, users will get an alert via email that will guide them towards restoring their files. Google says that this process is easy and more intuitive compared to third-party solutions, which can be complex and costly. Right now, this AI-powered ransomware detection is in open beta. It will eventually be available to most Workspace commercial plans at no cost.
What is ransomware?
For those unfamiliar, ransomware is a type of cyberattack. It basically locks down a system and encrypts the files on it. While encryption is a strong security measure, you obviously need to have the key to decrypt it. In this case, the keys are with the attacker.
When that happens, the attacker will demand a ransom (hence the name ransomware) to unlock your files. There’s usually a timer associated with this, so once the timer runs out, your files are basically lost to you forever.
This can be an extremely disruptive form of cyberattack. We’ve seen it happen to large and critical organizations, such as hospitals, who need to be able to access patient records to determine the type of treatment or medication.
