Google ChromeOS Flex Comes Out of Beta to Stop Ransomware Threats

Today, google announced that its free, chrome-based operating system, ChromeOS Flex, is coming out of beta.

ChromeOS Flex provides PC and MAC users with a cloud-driven secure operating system that they can deploy via USB and co-manage with other Chrome OS devices.

While Chrome OS Flex shares the same code base as Chrome OS, unlike the latter, ChromeOS Flex can also be installed on Windows and Mac machines, opening the door to millions of potential new users.

Since Google made ChromeOS Flex available to early access users in February 2022, more than 400 devices are now certified for Flex and can be managed through the Google Admin console with the Chrome Enterprise Upgrade.

For enterprises, the newly released operating system provides a secure, easy-to-use operating system, which they can quickly deploy to an entire fleet of remote worker devices to reduce the risk of data loss if a device is lost or stolen.

Emerge as the secure operating system

ChromeOS Flex launch comes as more organizations struggle with modern ransomware and malware hazards. For example, Research show that ransomware The number of attacks increased by 92.7% in 2021 compared to 2020, from 1,389 reported attacks to 2,690 last year.

One of the main reasons for this struggle to secure modern business environments is the complexity of remote working and ensuring that employees’ devices are fully patched against vulnerabilities.

In fact, 74% of IT executives say: remote work makes it more difficult for employees to follow good security practices.

ChromeOS Flex addresses this challenge by allowing users to manage devices through the Google Admin console, not only to manage updates for multiple devices, but also by having the ability to remotely wipe or disable compromised devices.

“ChromeOS Flex provides much-needed protection against growing threats, including ransomware, malware and employee errors,” said Mike Wendling, Group Product Manager at Chrome OS.

For example, with a one-page guide and a USB stick, employees at 200 Nordic Choice hotels were able to bring 2,000 previously compromised computers back online in 48 hours by converting them all to Chrome OS Flex, protecting their business from an expensive, long-term lease. shut down,” said Wendling.

In this situation, Nordic Choice Hotels managed to use the rapid deployment capability to reduce the overall impact of a ransomware incident and restore critical operations, which they could not have done with a less third-party-friendly browser.

Where does ChromeOSFLex fit in the OS market?

As the latest entrant to the OS market, ChromeOS Flex competes with some established competitors such as: Windows 11which is used by approximately 1.44 percent of the pcs†

While Windows 11 has a much wider user base and diverse ecosystem of Microsoft consumer and business tools, it’s also a much bigger target. Threat actors are constantly developing malware for Windows because they know that the platform has many users.

In contrast, Chrome OS Flex has the potential to provide a secure alternative to Windows, not only because it exposes it to a much smaller number of threats, but also because it doesn’t support native applications, meaning malware has limited data about the damage to the room has. the device.

At the same time, it competes with the diverse Linux ecosystem. While less than 2% of computers use Linux according to: TurboFuturedistributions like Ubuntu have always offered businesses and consumers more control over the applications they deploy.

Where Chrome OS Flex has the potential to excel is in protecting older PCs and laptops. USB-based deployment makes it easy for users to upgrade systems that have been discontinued, which will become more relevant in the future when operating systems such as Windows 10 gain end-of-life security support.