HP’s Latest Laptops Use AI to Detect New Types of Malware

HP today announced five additions to its commercial laptop line, all equipped with a security solution called Sure Sense. HP’s new endpoint security offering uses artificial intelligence (AI) to detect malware, including previously unknown variants.

Sure Sense comes as malware continues to be a growing threat to businesses, with 350,000 new types discovered daily, according to 2017 research by G Data Security which HP cited in its announcement. HP Sure Sense is supposed to fight this by using deep learning to offer real-time prevention and detection of zero-day threats and ransomware-related activity.

How does deep learning AI fight malware?

HP claimed that its deep learning solution is more secure than using legacy antivirus or machine learning without a deep learning implementation. Signature-based antivirus software checks new files for known forms of malware. However, this method is time-intensive and requires frequent updates. And it can’t detect new forms of malware.

Machine learning, a type of AI, can identify common malware characteristics. It can therefore identify some new types of malware but still requires frequent updates and time-consuming feature engineering.

By adding deep learning however, Sure Sense AI uses multi-level neural networks that have been trained around hundreds of millions of malware samples in the form of raw data, so that it can spot malware, including types of attacks that haven’t been discovered yet. If it finds something that’s likely to be malware while scanning files, Sure Sense quarantines it.

According to HP, Sure Sense works in milliseconds, requires few updates and has “minimal” impact on performance.

HP is loading Sure Sense into five upcoming PCs: the EliteBook 830 G6, EliteBook 840 G6 and EliteBook x360 G6 and two workstations, the ZBook 14u and ZBook 15u.

New HP EliteBook PCs 

By adding Sure Sense to its EliteBook line, HP is positioning the series as the secure solutions enterprises need. The laptops will also come pre-loaded with HP Sure Click, which fights web-based malware, Windows Defender and HP'S Endpoint Security Controller.

The new portables offer screens up to 1,000 nits and up 4G LTE3 connectivity. HP also claims to have doubled Wi-Fi range on the HP EliteBook830 G6 compared to its predecessor.

The HP EliteBook 830 x360 G6 is expected to debut in June, while the HP EliteBook 830 G6 and HP EliteBook 840 G6 should be available this month.

HP ZBook 14u and ZBook 15u Workstations

HP claims the ZBook 14u will be the world’s thinnest mobile workstation--not a stretch given that most workstation laptops start at 15 inches. Boosted by AMD graphics, it can handle intense business tasks, like working with 3D CAD models, video rendering and remote access for rendering applications. It’s been tested for creative professional software such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, AutoCAD and SolidWorks.

Meanwhile, the 15u will represent HP’s thinnest and lightest mobile 15-inch workstation. It’s also been tested for creative software and is primed for remote access and collaboration.

Both ZBooks will be available on May 27.

Specs

Image credits: HP