Ransomware is no longer just a manual operation carried out by human attackers. According to a recent article by Axios titled “AI ransomware attacks are coming”, cyber-criminals are already embedding AI into their ransomware workflows — enabling faster, smarter, more automated attacks. Axios
Here is what that means for businesses today — and why now, more than ever, organisations must shift their endpoint defence strategy away from the traditional detect-and-respond paradigm, and towards isolation and containment.
The Axios piece outlines how ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) groups are now offering automation or AI-tool options as part of their platforms. For example:
Researchers at ReliaQuest observed that about 80 % of the RaaS groups they monitor now offer automation or other AI features.
A study from Palo Alto Networks showed an AI-based simulation of a full ransomware attack — from initial compromise to data exfiltration — in just 25 minutes.
Attackers are even using AI-generated video and audio to impersonate employees in help-desk scams and then deploy ransomware.
And it is not hypothetical. According to data cited by Axios, ransomware accounted for 91 % of all incurred losses among one cyber-risk firm’s customer base in the first half of 2025.
All of this points to a stark reality: businesses are facing more agile, more automated, more stealthy attacks than ever before.
Traditional endpoint security strategies have focused on detecting threats (via signatures, heuristics, behavioural analysis) and then responding (quarantine, investigation, remediation). That model has been effective to some degree — but with AI-driven attacks, it has serious shortcomings:
By the time a threat is detected, it may already have executed key stages (for example: lateral movement, exfiltration, encryption).
Automated attacks shorten the dwell-time: attackers leveraging AI can complete entire attack cycles in minutes, leaving little margin for detection plus response.
Detection techniques can be bypassed: attackers using AI can generate polymorphic malware, adapt tactics, or mimic legitimate processes.
Response is inherently post-compromise: even if you respond quickly, damage has already begun.
In other words, detect-and-respond is too reactive, not fast enough for today’s threat landscape. Businesses need to prevent escalation rather than simply reacting after compromise.
This is where a solution like AppGuard becomes critical. With a 10-year track record of success, AppGuard has proven its ability to prevent unknown threats, zero-days, and advanced malware by isolating risky code execution and containing potential attacks — rather than waiting to detect them after the fact.
Here is what isolation-and-containment brings to the table:
Prevention at execution time: Instead of waiting for a signature match or anomaly detection alert, AppGuard isolates unknown or untrusted code in real time.
Minimised attack surface: By restricting what code can do (especially where privilege escalation, lateral movement, or encryption might be involved), the platform reduces the attacker’s ability to escalate or spread.
Protection against zero-day & AI-powered attacks: Because isolation is behaviour-agnostic, it does not rely solely on detection of known attack patterns; it prevents malicious actions even from previously unseen threats.
Fewer dependencies on threat intelligence: While traditional EDR relies on indicators of compromise or known malware families, isolation doesn’t wait for a signature—it enforces containment proactively.
Faster recovery and less damage: If containment prevents the threat from spreading, the business suffers far less damage, fewer systems are impacted, and recovery is faster.
For businesses facing the rising tide of AI-powered ransomware, this shift—from detect plus respond to isolation plus contain—is no longer optional. It is a strategic imperative.
If you’re a business owner reading this, consider the following risks and questions:
Do you know how quickly your environment could be compromised if an attacker used AI automation? If the entire lifecycle from breach to encryption can take minutes, how would you respond?
Have you evaluated your endpoint strategy with respect to unknown threats, zero-days, or entirely new malware that signature-based detection might miss?
Does your protection model rely mainly on detecting and investigating after the fact, or does it proactively contain threats before they spread?
What would be the cost — in operations disruption, lost data, brand damage, regulatory fines — if a ransomware event succeeded in your network tomorrow?
Let’s face facts: the threat landscape is evolving rapidly. If you’re still relying primarily on detect-and-respond tools, you’re leaving a window open for attackers who are today adopting AI-driven tactics.
Businesses in sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, the auto supply chain, or any environment with sensitive data, remote access, or high value systems are especially at risk. Attackers don’t need time now — they have automation and AI to scale up and speed up.
Choosing AppGuard isn’t just picking another endpoint product. It’s choosing a fundamentally different mindset: prevention through containment. With a mature platform that has been proven over a decade in protecting high-risk environments, AppGuard gives you:
A solution that doesn’t wait for detection, but intervenes early.
Protection against unknown tools, zero-day exploits, custom malware, AI-enhanced attacks.
Lower operational burden: fewer alerts to triage, fewer incident investigations, less reliance on continual threat-intelligence updates.
A scalable model that aligns with a fast-moving attacker landscape — particularly relevant as AI drives adversaries to adapt faster than ever.
In short, if your business is serious about staying ahead of ransomware threats — particularly the AI-powered ones highlighted by Axios — then moving to a containment approach with AppGuard is one of the most forward-looking decisions you can make.
If you are a business owner, executive or security leader, we at CHIPS invite you to talk with us about how AppGuard can help your organisation make the shift from “detect and respond” to “isolate and contain”. The time to act is now. Let’s ensure your business isn’t the next headline in future AI-ransomware stories. Contact us today and take the proactive step toward protecting your endpoints, your data and your reputation.
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