There are millions of users relying on Google Drive to store their important files, photos, and documents. Even though cloud storage is a lifesaver for many, ransomware can still hit your device at any time. Thus, to avoid this scenario, Google is bringing a major security update by launching its AI-powered ransomware detection and restoration feature for all users.
Journey from Beta to Full Availability
Back in 2025, the feature was in beta to help organizations mitigate the impact of malware. As mentioned in the Google Workspace blog post, “Google’s ransomware detection and restoration features are generally available with improvements in malware detection.”
The new feature uses advanced AI models trained on millions of real-world ransomware samples to identify suspicious file activity during syncing.
What is the New AI-Powered Ransomware Detection?
Whenever a potential ransomware attack is detected, Drive immediately pauses file syncing, preventing the spread of corrupted files to the cloud. Users see a notification on their computers, alongside emails. IT administrators are notified via alerts in the Admin Console, Drive, and email. Only Admins can turn on or off by following the steps below:
Go to Admin console > Apps > Google Workspace > Settings for Drive and Docs > Malware and Ransomware.
Alongside this, Google Drive has also introduced a file restoration feature that plays an important role in protecting cloud-stored data. Users can quickly restore unaffected or prior versions of files using the built-in Drive restoration tool.
This helps save time and eliminates the need to pay for ransom. The file restoration feature is on by default.
To disable it, Admins need to visit: Admin console > Apps > Google Workspace > Settings for Drive and Docs > Drive file restoration.
Google has revealed that the new AI models can detect up to 14 times more ransomware threats than previous versions, offering fast, high-end protection. However, the feature currently works only with the Google Drive desktop app on Windows and macOS.
How About Availability?
The file restoration feature is available to all Google Workspace customers. AI-powered ransomware detection is available to users on Business, Enterprise, and Education plans.
With cyber threats growing at the fastest pace, the long-awaited rollout from Google Drive keeps them ahead in upgrading security features.
To learn about the daily tech updates, don’t miss out on our site!
Read More:
Inside Google’s Crawling Infrastructure: How Googlebot Really Works?
