Defend your organization with a superior ransomware protection solution
Ransomware protection is an essential piece of email security technology for organizations large and small. In a ransomware attack, hackers breach an organization’s security and restrict access to data or systems, requiring a ransom to be paid in order to release the restriction. Hackers will often start a ransomware attack through email, tricking users into clicking a malicious link or opening a weaponized attachment that propagates malware to a computer system.
Effective ransomware protection requires both ransomware detection technology and powerful backup and archiving solutions, providing access to archived email in the event of an attack. For organizations seeking superior ransomware protection, Mimecast’s cloud-based services provide an all-in-one solution to defend against this growing threat.
How Mimecast delivers ransomware protection
Breaking the Ransomware Attack Chain Early
A ransomware attack delivered via email typically unfolds in five stages: delivery, execution, propagation, encryption, and extortion. Mimecast interrupts this sequence before execution by layering AI-driven analysis, multi-stage link inspection, and advanced sandboxing at key choke points. Every inbound, outbound, and internal email is inspected in real time, with both static and dynamic analysis applied to links, files, and the message body.
Advanced Detection Across Every Email Interaction
Mimecast's inspection process for inbound, outbound, and internal email integrates multiple detection capabilities to identify and stop ransomware precursors. Detection starts with monitoring for risky phrases and semantic intent to understand the purpose of a message. Language patterns suggesting urgency, financial requests, or sensitive data collection trigger deeper inspection. Anomalous activity detection builds a social graph of user interactions to compare current sender–recipient relationships against historical norms. Deviations—such as a sudden request for wire transfer from an unestablished contact—raise the risk score.
Semantic and Behavioral Analysis at the Message Level
The behavioral indicators gathered during detection are combined with AI-powered verdicting, which merges real-time machine learning models with proven indicators from signatures and curated global threat feeds. Security teams can see exactly which risky characteristics led to the verdict—including sender reputation, domain anomalies, and unusual timing—before deciding on quarantine, rejection, or user warning.
Advanced Sandboxing and File Filtering
Attachments undergo AI-powered sandboxing that tests for decoys, anti-evasion techniques, and anti-exploit behaviors in a secure virtual environment. The system monitors for aggressive file actions—such as rapid encryption attempts or suspicious process launches—that signal ransomware execution. Robust file filtering policies prevent unknown or high-risk file types from being delivered at all, further reducing the attack surface.
Ransomware Containment and Account Compromise Prevention
If ransomware indicators are detected, Mimecast moves quickly to contain the threat across the email environment, halting delivery and isolating impacted messages. Protection extends to account compromise detection, which monitors for suspicious login activity or credential use that could be a ransomware precursor. By catching these anomalies early, Mimecast can block further spread before payload deployment.
Stop ransomware before it spreads—see how Mimecast gives you visibility, control, and advanced proactive ransomware protection. Protect your organization by identifying high-risk users and mitigating threats before they disrupt business.
