As any SMB knows, keeping your data and network safe is an ongoing struggle. Cyber threats seem to come from every direction, and the criminals are ever vigilant in their efforts to disguise their presence.
In an age of mobile devices, these threats become even more difficult to keep at bay. Business owners have to trust that their employees are following security protocols not only when in the office, but in coffee shops and airports – or anyplace else they are accessing the company network. Keeping every device which accesses your network free of malware or viruses becomes more challenging by the day.
What is Malware?
Malware is defined as any software specifically designed to cause damage to a computer, server, client, or computer network. Malware does its damage after it has made its way into the victim’s computer, showing up in the form of executable code or scripts. Malware may wreak havoc through computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, ransomware, spyware, adware or and scareware. But no matter what you call it, it is malicious and deliberate.
Protecting Your Company Against Threats
IT professionals are constantly fighting the battle, combatting new malware attacks which seem to come as fast as the last threat is dealt with. Companies can protect themselves in a number of ways, including:
- Ensuring that devices have the latest operating systems installed
- Compelling employees to download all security patches as soon as they are available
- Implementing strict password security protocols
- Installing anti-virus software on all devices
- Provide VPN capability for those accessing the network remotely
- Training employees to recognize spam and phishing scams
Malware’s New Look
But as we indicated, the cyber criminals are resourceful and persistent. Understanding that many users have gotten wise to some of their more common scams, they have now moved into a new arena – advertising.
In a business environment, organizations love the ability to target ads based upon a user’s preferences, online activity and past purchases. While in the past, you may create an ad which was of interest to 10% of the people who saw it, you can now fine tune your target market down to the individual.
However, creators of malware love that data as well. By hacking into a user’s device and accessing the same type of information, cyber criminals can present the victim with what appears to be a legitimate, attractive advertisement for a product or service they have interest in. Because people are so accustomed to shopping online, a professional looking ad doesn’t set off alarm bells. However, clicking on that ad could install malicious malware on the device. For those who don’t think this is much of an issue, as far back as 6 years ago Cisco determined that clicking on an ad was 182 times more likely to install a virus than other types of web surfing.
The only real way to keep the threat at bay is to never actually click on advertisements which pop up. Instead, users are encouraged to get into the habit of taking note of a product of interest, then googling it to find a legitimate website from which to purchase it.
As threats become more sophisticated and harder to identify as malicious, businesses will have to step up their protection and education to keep malware away from their network. For assistance in setting up effective firewalls and anti-virus protection, as well as with training your employees to proactively fight against cyber threats – call Alliance IT. Our expert team will help you to put the right software, protocols and procedures in place to effectively combat cyber threats and keep your network safe.
