IBM has developed an AI-assisted storage security technology that can intercept and neutralize ransomware. Integrated into IBM's enterprise tier FlashCore module. Simply put, it can scan all I/O data in real time and stop unauthorized cryptographic operations before they cause any damage.
IBM describes the technology in detail in the following documents: blog post (H/T Tom's Hardware). This blog begins by talking about enterprise concerns about ransomware, referencing a report that found that 89% of organizations ranked ransomware among the top five threats to their business's survival. Similarly, it's not a problem that IT people can solve over coffee and chit-chat.
IBM describes this technology best, saying: “IBM Storage Defender includes AI-powered sensors developed by IBM Research that are designed to quickly detect ransomware and other advanced threats with high accuracy. Issue high-fidelity alerts to security tools to mitigate breach explosions.'' Extend radius and help businesses recover from attacks. ”
Using AI to detect ransomware attacks is a great idea. Malicious code execution is difficult to intercept, but ransomware takes time to encrypt data. This ranges from minutes to hours, giving you the opportunity to stop an attack before it becomes significant.
IBM's solutions are targeted at deep-pocketed and security-conscious enterprise customers. It will be some time before we see consumer-level products with this kind of functionality, but current and next-generation CPUs come with dedicated AI hardware, so this is likely within the next few years. It is likely that it will be included in consumer PCs in some form.
I rolled my eyes at first when I thought about AI SSDs, but I can put this aside. It's one thing to be cynical about AI hype; it's quite another to openly hate dangerous ransomware attackers and scammers.
Ransomware is a global threat. Even in small gaming corners of the world, major companies such as Bandai Namco, Sony, and Capcom have all been affected. Even Nvidia is not immune to the king of AI. Anything that stops ransomware from entering is commendable.