MWC 2023: Huawei launches 'world's best' ransomware detection system
Huawei claims its Cyber Engine database security system has a 99.9% detection rate, but experts have been quick to weaken the sentiment


Huawei has claimed its new Cyber Engine database security system is "the best in the world" with a 99.9% detection rate for ransomware.
The system, which was launched on the opening day of the 2023 Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, is described as a "last line of defence" by the Chinese conglomerate.
"The mechanism we have built for Cyber Engine, together with data storage, is the last line of defence, but it also should be the most effective way," Huawei's president of IT product line, Dr Peter Zhou, told journalists after his presentation.
"Our mechanism and also the algorithm we have developed within Cyber Engine is AI-trained to detect the fingerprint of the ransomware virus and whether or not there has been an attack on the system," he explained.
Once it has detected an attack, the system then informs the database to begin shutting down affected systems or systems that can be implicated. It does this with a technique called 'air gap' which is about isolating data sets.
"We honestly believe its ability to detect ransomware is the best in the world," Zhuo said.
Ransomware detection systems, whether AI-powered or otherwise, will tend to have a very high success rate, according to Jake Moore, cyber security expert at ESET, however, they have to work every time to remain secure.
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"An intruder only has to infect once for the disruption to begin," he told IT Pro. "SMBs must always prepare for the worst-case scenario by simulating an attack to fully understand the localised risks rather than relying on any one tool.
"Threat detection and response are absolutely vital but cannot be relied upon completely. However small the percentage 'get out clause' is, it remains every information security controller's nightmare and therefore preparation is key to survival."
What's behind Huawei's growth in cloud computing?
Cyber Engine was just one of several new cloud computing capabilities Huawei revealed at MWC.
The Chinese firm also launched Blu-ray storage. Related to the storage of cold data, which requires low-cost archiving, Huawei said it has a longer service life and reduces the total cost of ownership for organisations.
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The company also unveiled a multi-cloud storage service that deals with cross-cloud data transfers. This service is simply called 'Tiering' and categorises data to create a prioritised order for transfers to and from other cloud environments. Its aim is to reduce energy consumption as well as lower operational costs.
Another multi-cloud-based offering was the Cloud on Cloud solution, which will enable carriers to quickly build and operate their own cloud services with the capabilities and resources of Huawei.
One of the driving factors behind some of its cloud ventures, particularly its expansive database portfolio, is an expectation of increased data generation.
Dr Zhou spoke of yottabytes of data being created by 2030 - a storage volume equivalent to a quadrillion gigabytes. The company is keen to begin working on systems that handle vast amounts of data, with its AI-based security system acting as a first step.
Bobby Hellard is ITPro's Reviews Editor and has worked on CloudPro and ChannelPro since 2018. In his time at ITPro, Bobby has covered stories for all the major technology companies, such as Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook, and regularly attends industry-leading events such as AWS Re:Invent and Google Cloud Next.
Bobby mainly covers hardware reviews, but you will also recognize him as the face of many of our video reviews of laptops and smartphones.
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