Leonardo to provide protection against "ransomware" cyber threats

• Leonardo’s innovative solution combines cyber intelligence and behavioural technologies to counter damage caused to companies, public institutions and citizens following a cyber-attack 
• The product is aimed initially at Italy’s Public Administration within the framework agreement “SPC Lot 2 for Digital Identity Services and Application Security” 

​Leonardo has presented an innovative cyber intelligence solution to counter and prevent the threat of ransomware, a type of virus which encodes user data and then demands a ransom to release the data. The company made the presentation at the PA Forum, an event dedicated to innovation in public administration held on the 23rd-25th May in Rome.

A recent example of ransomware is the so-called “WannaCry” virus which, in just a few hours, compromised thousands of computers in numerous countries with serious consequences. These ranged from the temporary or permanent loss of confidential or propriety information up to financial or reputational damage. 

Leonardo’s solution, which integrates ‘RaPToR’ technology from security company Cyber Intuition, stops the virus from being propagated, intercepting execution attempts and preventing the encoding of user and system data. 

The solution also allows data to be restored via a sophisticated recovery method should a new type of ransomware manage to circumvent the recognition systems. This feature adheres to EU Regulation 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 which deals with the protection and processing of personal data.

The new technology is available for use by Italy’s Public Administration within the context of the Italian purchasing body Consip’s framework agreement titled “SPC Lot 2 for Digital Identity Services and Application Security”. Leonardo leads an association of companies, including IBM and Fastweb, to implement this project, which is a cornerstone of Italy’s digital agenda.