Data Loss Prevention Against AI: How Immutable Storage Protects Against Sophisticated Cyberattacks

A recent survey of cybersecurity experts from companies with over 1,000 employees found that nearly half—46 percent—of respondents believe generative AI will increase their organization’s vulnerability to attacks. 

That change is already well underway, with 75 percent of respondents saying they’ve witnessed an increase in attacks over the year before the survey and 85 percent attributing this rise to cyber criminals using generative AI. 

As generative AI becomes increasingly sophisticated, its ability to learn, adapt, and execute complex tasks will enable it to work around traditional data protection solutions. That will only make data loss prevention harder for IT professionals. This reality makes it clear that a multilayered defense strategy is your best bet to protect your data from cyberattacks, ransomware, and other threats.

A core component of this strategy is the implementation of immutable storage.

The Evolving Threat of AI-Driven Cyberattacks

Traditional cybersecurity measures like firewalls and antivirus software rely on known threat patterns to protect data. Because AI can analyze massive amounts of data to identify vulnerabilities, adapt to security measures, and even mimic normal network behavior, it’s hard to defend against.

For example, a hacker using AI could analyze your network’s response to various intrusion attempts, learn from this analysis, and then produce an attack method more likely to succeed. That level of sophistication demands a more robust and adaptive defense mechanism.

Arcserve delivers on this promise by including Sophos Intercept X Advanced for Server with its solutions. It combines signature-based malware detection for known threats, signatureless malware detection—including a neural network that uses deep-learning AI—to stop attacks before they impact your systems, and behavioral analysis to stop previously unseen ransomware and boot record attacks. 

The Importance of Immutable Storage

TechTarget’s take on immutable storage includes the subhead, “When data files must absolutely, positively remain forever unalterable, immutable storage is one affordable approach to consider.” We couldn’t agree more.

When your backups are saved to immutable storage, they are formatted as a write-once-read-many-times object. Once saved, whether on-premises or in the cloud using solutions like Amazon S3 Object Lock, your immutable backups can’t be accidentally or intentionally deleted or overwritten. That gives you a last line of defense you can count on—even against AI-driven attacks.

For on-premises immutability, Arcserve OneXafe network-attached storage is a solution worth considering. OneXafe’s immutable object store ensures every object (your backups, for example) is written only once and never modified. OneXafe delivers continuous data protection (CDP) by taking low-overhead snapshots—a view of your file system at the instant the snapshot is taken—every 90 seconds. These snapshots let you return to specific points in time and recover entire file systems in minutes. 

For cloud data protection, Arcserve Unified Data Protection (UDP) software delivers all-in-one data protection, including immutable storage, for scalable onsite and offsite business continuity.

Why a Multilayered Approach Matters

Arcserve’s comprehensive approach to data protection starts with cost-effective cybersecurity measures and ends with immutable backups that ensure recovery. This multilayered strategy is vital if you’re going to successfully address the evolving and ever more sophisticated nature of cyber threats powered by AI.

Most importantly, since 83 percent of breaches involve external actors and 74 percent involve the human element, such as social engineering attacks, errors, or misuse, Arcserve solutions offer data protection capabilities on both sides of your firewalls.

Conclusion

The rise of AI-driven cyberattacks presents a formidable challenge for IT pros everywhere. In this evolving landscape, immutable storage is crucial for safeguarding your data against sophisticated threats. 

Arcserve’s integration of immutable storage into our comprehensive, multilayered data protection, business continuity, and data disaster recovery solutions on-premises and in the cloud ensures you are well-equipped to protect your data against AI-driven attacks and human errors. 

For help developing effective defenses against evolving attacks and ensuring your data can always be recovered, choose an Arcserve Technology Partner.