Deep Learning – the answer to Ransomware

Channel partners pride themselves on delivering solutions that have a measurable business impact. Business customers’ relationships with the channel tend to outlast those with vendors and yet, within that continuity there is scope for introducing innovation and evaluate new technologies.

We’ve seen many changes in the adoption of cybersecurity solutions tools over the years. The many attacks customers face include credential theft, phishing attacks, and ransomware.

When it comes to ransomware, the challenge is daunting and can literally shut down a business.  Below are some startling cyber security facts:

  • Globally, there were 304.7 million ransomware attacks in the first half of 2021, a 151% increase since 2020[1]
  • 560,000 new pieces of malware are detected every day[2]
  • 80% of organizations were hit by a ransomware attack in 2021[3]
  • The total cost of a ransomware breach was an average of $4.62 million in 2021, not including the ransom[4]

One of the ways that the IT industry tackles cybersecurity issues is with machine learning. Machine learning solutions have addressed the scale limitations of legacy tools, but they still rely on daily signature updates to the cloud, which are being outflanked by today’s cyber criminals. They have started using adversarial AI to outsmart the traditional endpoint technologies and outmaneuvering slick recovery options such as “roll-backs”.

Ransomware has evolved since 1989, (yes…it’s been in the wild for 30+ years), from using a simple symmetric encryptor to block users from accessing files to some of the most sophisticated extortion techniques.

Double ExtortionDouble Extortion

One example is with double extortion ransomware attacks, where the threat actors both encrypt and steal victims’ data. Therefore, if victims refuse to pay the ransom to unencrypt their files — often because they have backups from which they can restore their systems — the threat actors can threaten to make the data public to ensure payment or sell the victim’s data on the dark web, a win-win for the attacker.

Big-Game HuntingBig-Game Hunting

The past five years have also seen the emergence of big-game hunting, a term describing the increase in attacks on larger corporations. In earlier ransomware phases, attackers focused on infecting many individual victims. While these smaller attacks still occur today, many attackers spend months researching larger, specific or well-known targets to maximize profits.

Deep LearningDeep Learning

How are Nuvias’s partners addressing these challenges for their customers? They have turned to a modern, state-of-the art technology called deep learning. Deep learning has been around for years and is the most advanced form of Artificial Intelligence. Unlike machine learning which uses < 5% of raw data to extract feature sets, deep learning trains a deep neural network with hundreds of millions of benign and malicious files to learn what’s “good and bad.” Think about some of the most sophisticated deep learning frameworks today: Tesla, Google, Amazon, Netflix. Machine learning could never enable them to accomplish the level of precision and accuracy they are able to deliver to the consumer.

Nuvias has partnered with Deep Instinct to deliver the world’s first deep learning cybersecurity framework. The solution can be deployed in a number of use cases (endpoint protection, ingesting and sending files from any application) and consistently delivers business value in several areas:

Prevents (pre-execution) > 99% of all unknown and known threats (zero-day attacks), reducing risk of breach/ransomware for customers

Generates the lowest false/position rates in the industry (< 0.1%), able to focus on high fidelity alerts that are most important, reducing burden on SOC team or help desk

Minimal system overhead (cpu utilization), giving the end user a more productive experience

No daily internet connectivity needed to deliver > 99% efficacy and improved protection for WFH users

If you are interested in learning more about how deep learning solutions enable customers to solve complex problems, you can contact Dirk Muenster or Joseph Santamorena.

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