Ransomware attacks are a constant worry for anyone with a computer. These digital threats often sneak onto your machine, locking up files and demanding money. Google is now stepping up its game against these nasty programs. The company just announced a big security upgrade for its Google Drive for Desktop app.
This update uses artificial intelligence to stop ransomware from corrupting your files on Google Drive. Think of it as a smart guardian for your data. Google Drive already had some built-in safety nets. Files like Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets are naturally safe from ransomware. And if other files got infected, you could always go back to an older, uninfected version.
The new feature brings AI directly to the Google Drive for Desktop app. This app helps sync your computer files with the cloud. Now, the AI will watch out for ransomware activity on both Windows and macOS computers. It will instantly spot if a ransomware attack is happening.
How This Protection Works
The Google Drive for Desktop app now includes a special AI model. This AI has learned about many kinds of ransomware. It can immediately detect harmful changes to files during the sync process. The system keeps learning about new ransomware types all the time. It does this by checking for file changes and adding new threat information from VirusTotal.
When Google Drive for Desktop sees something suspicious that looks like a ransomware attack, it stops syncing the affected files. This prevents widespread data damage. Users will get alerts on their computer screen and through email. These messages will also include advice on how to get their files back. This is a step up from the old way, where you had to manually restore file versions. Now, the web version of Google Drive also lets users restore many files to a safe state with just a few clicks. This offers another easy recovery option if something goes wrong.
Google has not yet said if this feature is only for Google Workspaces users. It is unclear if Google One or free users will also get this security update.
Google has also made it clear that it will not use customer data. This includes user prompts and anything the AI generates. This data will not be used for advertising. Google also states it will not use this data to train or improve its AI models. This is true unless the customer gives permission or specifically asks for it.
For Google Workspaces Administrators
- Administrators will receive alerts if ransomware tries to attack any account. These alerts appear in the Google Admin Console.
- Admins can check detailed Audit logs for more information.
- This admin feature is turned on by default for all customers. However, administrators can choose to turn it off for their users if needed.