Malware
For a long time, the phrase “computer virus” was misused to refer to any type of attack that harmed computers and networks. The more appropriate term for these harmful programs and files is “malicious software,” or “malware.” In reality, a virus is a type of malware designed to replicate itself.
So what is a malware? A malware is any software created for the purpose of destroying or accessing networks and data with the intent to steal, corrupt, or encrypt. In short, a malware is a computer program designed with ill intent. In fact, according to Astra, there has been an 87% increase in malware infections over the past decade.
Now that you know the malware definition, you know what to watch out for.
Ransomware
Don’t let all other cyberthreats ending in “-ware” confuse you; they are all just subcategories of malware. The ransomware definition is slightly different. Currently, one of the most notorious of these is ransomware, which is malware that encrypts valuable data until a ransom is paid for the decryption key. In a ransomware attack, the victim organization may feel compelled to pay the ransom to regain access to their data.
According to the Federal Bank of Atlanta, the average ransomware payment in 2022 was $4.7 million.
Intrusion prevention system (IPS)
There are several ways to safeguard your network from malware, but an IPS is one of the non-negotiables.
What is IPS? An Intrusion Prevention System (or IPS) sits behind your company’s firewall and monitors for suspicious and malicious activity that can be halted before it can exploit or take advantage of a known vulnerability.
Social engineering
Not all types of malware rely solely on fancy computer programming. Experts agree that the majority of attacks require some form of social engineering to succeed.
So what is social engineering? Social engineering is the act of tricking people, rather than computers, into revealing sensitive or protected information. For some cybercriminals, it’s less tedious to convince a potential victim to give them the data they need than to create and deploy complicated software to obtain the same information.
Phishing
Phishing definition: Phishing is a type of social engineering scheme that involves scamming people using an app or a website that impersonates a trustworthy or often well-known business or person in an attempt to obtain confidential information or money.
Just because you received an email that says it’s from the IRS doesn’t mean that it is. Don’t take such emails at face value — always verify the source, especially if the emails are requesting your sensitive data.
In fact, according to the United States Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), about 90% of cyber attacks start with phishing.
Zero-day attacks
When a vulnerability is found within a piece of software, vendors will release an update to fix the gap in security. However, cyberattackers can release a piece of malware that exploits the security vulnerability before software developers can address it. This is known as a zero-day attack.
Antivirus
One of the most well-known tech terms. Antivirus software is often misunderstood as a way to comprehensively secure your computers and workstations. These applications are just one piece of the cybersecurity puzzle and can only scan the drives on which they are installed to identify signs of well-known malware variants.
Patch
When software developers discover a security vulnerability in their programming, they usually release a small file to update and “patch” this gap. Patches are essential to keeping your network secure from the vultures lurking on the internet. By checking for and installing patches as soon as these become available, you keep your software protected from the latest malware.
Redundant data
When antivirus software, patches, and intrusion prevention fail to keep your information secure, there’s only one thing that will: quarantined off-site storage. Duplicating your data offline and storing it somewhere other than your business’s workspace ensures that even if your systems get infected with malware, you’re equipped with backups to keep your business running.
Our cybersecurity professionals are always available to impart more in-depth knowledge of the many different kinds of cyber threats. Get in touch with us today and find out how we can help you with your IT security woes.