Anti-ransomware refers to security controls designed to detect, stop, or limit ransomware-style activity, especially the rapid encryption or tampering of files. These controls may watch for suspicious mass file changes, malicious process behavior, unusual privilege use, or attempts to disable backups and recovery tools.
This matters because ransomware can quickly turn a single infected device into an organization-wide outage. In practice, anti-ransomware features appear in endpoint protection, backup software, and file-monitoring tools that can pause a process, isolate a machine, or roll back changes before damage spreads. For defenders, the goal is not only to block known malware, but also to catch the behavior that usually comes with it. When paired with patching, least privilege, and user awareness, anti-ransomware controls reduce both the impact and the speed of an attack.