US-based cyber-security vendor SentinelOne has announced today the launch of an optional protection plan for its endpoint security products, called Ransomware Cyber Guarantee.

The company says that this plan is a financial guarantee for all its customers that their data is safe from ransomware infections.

SentinelOne assures everyone that if a computer protected by its product is infected with ransomware, it will pay up to $1,000 per workstation or up to $1 million for an entire company if its network was compromised. The user or the company can then use this money to pay the ransom and recover their files.

"[A]pparently some of the top re-insurers in the world agree with us," a SentinelOne spokesperson explains. "[I]f we miss something and you get infected - we’ll pay the ransom. It’s that simple. And it’s how security is supposed to be. If you can block something - why not guarantee it? Would you buy a new shiny car without manufacturer warranty?"

Company places trust in the efficiency of its endpoint protection tool

The company's trust is placed in its ground-breaking endpoint security solution that uses machine learning and intelligent automation to collect information about the common patterns seen in malware infections, instead of file signatures and IOCs.

SentinelOne says that its security product was recently capable of detecting a new strain of the CryptXXX ransomware without seeing it before.

Company will probably pay a few ransoms

Of course, the company's Ransomware Cyber Guarantee will not be perfect because malware in general, including ransomware, has a knack for taking strange turns once in a while.

The most obvious of these happened when Locky appeared and used .js files to infect victims, something not seen before, or when Ransom32 or RAA popped up, using JavaScript code to carry out the encryption operations instead of classic C or C++. One of these new ransomware variants is quite likely to cause some problems for SentinelOne's product at one point or another.

The company will most likely end up paying a few warranties here and there, but if a third-party reinsurer has agreed to back their crazy plan, that means that the math adds up in their favor more than for ransomware operators.

With ransomware numbers growing year by year, SentinelOne's gamble will most likely help it improve its market share, especially amongst medium-to-large companies where one ransomware infection can derail operations for days and cause large damages in the company's financial bottom line. Having your security vendor pay for ransomware infections is an idea that would prove appealing to any executive.