Malicious Software or Malware is a serious concern to IT Security experts and business owners alike. \u00a0Malware is a category of Cyber Security threats that includes Viruses, Worms,Trojans and Botnets. \u00a0It is no surprise that the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) tenth annual IT Security Information Trends report placed Malware at the top of the list of security threats. \u00a0CompTIA cited that eighty-five percent of Business Owners and IT Professionals have a moderate to serious concern about Malware. \u00a0Why should you care?<\/p>\n
Many times Malware intrusions will go undetected. Some malware may cause your computer to run slowly. \u00a0Some malware may be programmed to silently harvest privacy data from your hard drive, while other malware is programmed to destroy data on your hardware. \u00a0Other malware can turn your PC into a Cyber Hacker by exploiting security holes and using your PC to attack other PCs.<\/p>\n
Costs associated with data breaches is estimated to be as high as a billion dollars each year. \u00a0Moreover, the number of Malware threats are exploding. \u00a0Symantec estimates there will be over 250,000 new threats (not attacks) identified on Android devices in 2012 alone. \u00a0What can you do to avoid Malware?<\/p>\n
The reality is you can not afford to eradicate one hundred percent of all cyber threats, so you need to have a pragmatic plan for defending yourself. \u00a0Start by understanding your security risks by reviewing your core applications and data, policies and procedures, as well as, your network infrastructure. \u00a0You are as vulnerable as your weakest link.<\/p>\n
To protect your applications and their data, as well as your employee productivity, make sure all of your IT Assets are up to date with Operating System patches and updates. \u00a0IT Assets include desktops, laptops, servers, smart phones and tablet computers. \u00a0Also, keep your applications up to date with the latest updates. \u00a0Many of these security patches are designed to protect you from Malware attacks. \u00a0\u00a0In addition, keep your Anti-Virus and Anti-malware subscriptions current to protect yourself from Malware threats.<\/p>\n
If you are attacked by Malware you will minimize the impact on your business if you have a business Continuity and Disaster Recovery plan in place. \u00a0By understanding what applications and their data are most important, you can get up and running quicker, if you suffer a data loss.<\/p>\n
Train your employees about the importance of IT Security. \u00a0If they are aware of the exposure they are more likely to follow policies and procedures by accepting security patches, reporting infections and data loss. \u00a0Periodic trainings will serve as a better reminder than longer sessions once per year.<\/p>\n
Malicious Software or Malware is a serious concern to IT Security experts and business owners alike. \u00a0Malware is a category of Cyber Security threats that includes Viruses, Worms,Trojans and Botnets. \u00a0It is no surprise that the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) tenth annual IT Security Information Trends report placed Malware at the top of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[8,9,13,25,28,40,43,47,55,56],"yoast_head":"\n
\nIf you feel you may have malware infecting your IT Assets, or are concerned about what you would do if you lost data from a malware attack, you should contact your IT Support organization and request an IT Security assessment.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"