Skip to main content

NetApp ONTAP built-in on-box AI-based detection and response

Contributors netapp-dbagwell

As ransomware threats become more and more sophisticated, so should your defense mechanisms. NetApp's autonomous ransomware protection (ARP) is powered by AI with intelligent anomaly detection that is built in to ONTAP. Turn it on to add another layer of defense to your cyber resiliency.

ARP and ARP/AI are configurable through the ONTAP built-in management interface, System Manager, and enabled on a per-volume basis.

Autonomous Ransomware Protection (ARP)

Autonomous Ransomware Protection (ARP), another native built-in ONTAP solution since 9.10.1, looks at NAS storage volume workload file activity and data entropy to automatically detect potential ransomware. ARP provides administrators with real-time detection, insights, and a data recovery point for unprecedented on-box potential ransomware detection.

For ONTAP 9.15.1 and earlier versions that support ARP, ARP starts in learning mode to learn typical workload data activity. This can take seven days for most environments. After learning mode is complete, ARP will automatically switch to active mode and start looking for abnormal workload activity that might potentially be ransomware.

If abnormal activity is detected, an automatic snapshot copy is immediately taken, which provides a restoration point as close as possible to the time of attack with minimal infected data. Simultaneously, an automatic alert (configurable) is generated that allows administrators to see the abnormal file activity so that they can determine whether the activity is indeed malicious and take appropriate action.

If the activity is an expected workload, administrators can easily mark it as a false positive. ARP learns this change as normal workload activity and no longer flags it as a potential attack going forward.

To enable ARP, an ONTAP One license is required.

Autonomous Ransomware Protection/AI (ARP/AI)

Introduced as a tech preview in ONTAP 9.15.1, ARP/AI takes NAS storage systems on-box real-time detection to the next level. The new AI-powered detection technology is trained on over a million files and various known ransomware attacks. In addition to the signals used in ARP, ARP/AI also detects header encryption. The AI power and additional signals allow ARP/AI to deliver better than 99% detection accuracy. This has been validated by SE Labs, an independent test lab that gave ARP/AI its highest AAA rating.

Because training the models continuously happens in the cloud, ARP/AI does not require a learning mode. It is active the moment it is turned on. Continuous training also means that ARP/AI is always validated against new ransomware attack types as they arise. ARP/AI also comes with auto-update capabilities that deliver new parameters to all customers to keep ransomware detection up to date. All other detection, insight, and data recovery point capabilities of ARP are maintained for ARP/AI.

To enable ARP/AI, an ONTAP One license is required.