Google Drive for desktop on macOS and Windows is adding AI-powered ransomware detection that can stop syncing and allows for easy file restore.
This new approach complements antivirus software. However, if ransomware (malicious software that prevents access to your data) bypasses that layer of protection, Google will “stop it from being effective.” You’re instructed to first “remove the ransomware from your computer,” and delete the corrupted files.
Drive for desktop is leveraging an AI model to identify attempts to bulk encrypt or corrupt files. Trained on millions of real-world ransomware samples, this detection engine is “continuously analyzing file changes and incorporating new threat intelligence from VirusTotal.”
When unusual activity is detected, Drive automatically “pauses syncing of affected files, helping to prevent widespread data corruption across an organization’s Drive and the disruption of work.”
Users will receive a prominent desktop notification when this occurs, as well as an email, on how to restore their files “to a previous, healthy state with just a few clicks.” (In companies, IT admins will also be alerted.) Google says Drive is more user-friendly than “complex re-imaging or costly third-party tools.”
This rapid recovery capability helps to minimize user interruption and data loss, even when using traditional software such as Microsoft Windows and Office.
AI ransomware detection in Drive for desktop is rolling out starting today in open beta: “It is included in most Workspace commercial plans at no additional cost. Consumers also benefit from the file restoration capability at no additional cost.”
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