FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions

Ransomware is a form of malware that infects devices, machines, or systems. The infection can penetrate an individual asset or expand to infect and entire ecosystem of devices and machines. As the name implies, the malicious actor then demands a “ransom” for the return of access to systems and files.

Yes! Every industry is under an increasing ransomware threat. It is estimated that there are ~ 300,000 malware attacks initiated every day. As a comparison, there were ~ 90,000 back in 2012. Most of these attacks result in severe production degradation and/or compromise of proprietary data.

There are five insidious stages to a ransomware attack:

• Campaign: Campaigns can take several forms but the most common is the use of email. These sophisticated phishing attacks are engineered to encourage you to download the embedded malware.
• Infection: This is the point where the malware has been embedded into your device or machine. The infection remains dormant and invisible.
• Search: Now that the malware has a foothold it will begin to search for operating files to contaminate. This can include on-premise files as well as files stored within a cloud environment.
• Encryption: This is the final stage of the attack. The malicious actor uses symmetric encryption to compromise as much system and operating data as possible. This can bring individual assets or an entire asset ecosystem to a complete halt.
• Extortion: The attack culminates with a demand for a ransom payment. The attacker demands payment for access to the decryption keys that will allow for return to data access and operational control.

Ransomware attacks can have a devastating—and long-lasting—impact on your enterprise. As these attacks become more sophisticated the havoc they create is more widespread, harder to detect and more difficult to mitigate. The crippling effects from these cyber-attacks can include:

• Loss of critical data: A ransomware attack can result in the temporary—or sometimes—permanent loss of your sensitive data. This data can be related to asset performance, financials, suppliers, etc.
• Disruption of operations: Depending on the scope of the attack, a single asset, an entire factory, or a chain of interconnected factories can be disabled. After the ransom is paid it can take weeks or months to recover to normal operational status.
• Degradation of supply chain: Suppliers can be impacted by a ransomware attack on an industrial automation company. Suppliers may be hesitant to continue a business relationship with a company that appears vulnerable to cyber-attack.
• Loss of reputation and market share: Operational and financial disruptions can create a loss of confidence within your company’s targeted market. Market share can be temporarily or permanently impacted.
• Financial loss: In addition to the ransom that must be paid, all the above will contribute to financial loss and degraded bottom-line performance. This can negatively impact the ability to invest in future technology and innovation.

Yes! Our breakthrough technology embeds AI-enabled security into the extreme endpoint of your device, machine, or process (i.e., “the edge of the edge”). This Edge-native AI approach to cyber-security provides hardened protection against ransomware attack.

Legacy security solutions are increasingly ineffective against today’s ransomware attacks. MicroAI Security offers the following advantages when compared to traditional approaches to cyber-security:

• Machine and device centric: Endpoint security is embedded directly into your asset’s MCU or MPU. Security that can be customized for a specific device or machine.
• Customized algorithms: Predictive AI and ML algorithms that live, train, and learn directly on the targeted asset, providing the ability to predict potential ransomware attacks.
• Real-time alerts and reactions: Endpoint security provides you with quicker detection and reaction to ransomware infections. This allows you to mitigate the spread and impact of an attack.
• Local monitoring and data processing: Processing critical data at the endpoint eliminates security risks associated with cloud processing. Protection that is more robust and more cost-effective.

MicroAI Security is unique in that in processes more data locally, thereby reducing the amount of data that must be transferred and stored in the cloud. For data-intensive operations this can result in annual saving in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Speed of implementation is imperative in ransomware protection. MicroAI Security can be deployed and provided protection within a couple of weeks as opposed to months. Our solution can be deployed on a single asset, multiple assets, or across an entire ecosystem of assets. Ransomware protection in weeks instead of months.

Click here to learn more or to request a demonstration of MicroAI Security.