New Intel vPro processors have integrated ransomware detection

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2021 is rolling online, and in the midst of so many ads for smart refrigerators and bizarre robots, one ad in particular has caught the attention of cybersecurity audiences. Intel has revealed that the new generation of its line of vPro processors (aimed at corporate use) will have an integrated system to detect ransomware, polymorphic and fileless malware (fileless).

The technology in question was named Intel Threat Detection Technology and was designed in partnership with Cybereason. Using telemetry, diverse metrics and intelligent behavioral detections, the hardware will be able to identify malicious scripts in real time and send signals to the security software integrated into the platform so that it can take appropriate measures.

“As threats are detected in real time, Intel DTT sends a high-fidelity signal that can trigger workflows for correction in the security vendor’s code. Intel DTT does not issue specialized reports of effectiveness or performance; instead, the data is perfectly incorporated as part of the normal endpoint sensor report, ”explains the official novelty brochure.

According to Stephanie Hallford, executive responsible for Intel’s corporate platform area, ransomware 2.0 was one of the main threats of 2020 and software alone is not enough to stop it. “Our new 11th Generation vPro mobile platform provides the industry’s first silicon-enabled threat detection capability, offering the much-needed hardware-based protection against these types of attacks,” he explains.

Since all of these features run at the hardware level – even below the BIOS or any other firmware -, it becomes much more difficult for any malware to bypass security measures and hide in the lower layers of the operating system.

“This collaboration with Intel to add CPU-based threat detection reinforces our long history and industry-leading capabilities in the detection and eradication of ransomware. The combination of the best hardware, software and security know-how provides defenders with greater visibility, essential to ending the era of double extortion that is currently costing organizations hundreds of millions each year ”, comments Lior Div, CEO and co-founder of Cybereason.

Source: Intel, Bleeping Computer