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Why You Need Anti-Malware Software

Val King
Posted by Val King on Apr 28, 2016 8:00:00 AM

Give this some thought: When’s the last time you updated your anti-virus software signatures?  Last week? Good.  An hour ago?  Awesome; we’re proud of you. However, if you’re like most of our customers, you’re way too busy to stay on top of the constant updates required to keep your security posture solid.

Or perhaps you never quite had time to get the auto-updates set up and configured properly. Maybe you were overwhelmed with that January hiring frenzy and couldn’t get the right software installed on all the new machines you had to deploy in, like, 3 days.

Or maybe you’re sitting there thinking, “Oh, was I supposed to install anti-malware software???”

We’re here to tell you, YES, you need to 1. Install anti-virus/anti-malware software and 2. Be diligent about keeping that software updated.

Do you want to lose all your data or even just a smidge of your data to a malicious attack? Do you want to land in a courtroom defending yourself against angry customers whose identities were stolen from your insecure servers?  Do you want to lose days of productivity and pay exorbitant sums to a ransomware pirate who locks down your data until you pony up?

We’re going to go out on a limb and assume you answered no the above. That means you need to set aside some time THIS WEEK to review your security measures. Make all your systems are protected.

The types of ugliness are almost endless — malware, adware, spyware, ransomware, Trojan horse — but every one of them will wreak havoc, and you need to be protected against all of them.

Just to make sure we’re all on the same page, we’ll list some of the specifics of what you can expect from anti-malware technology:

Stop malware attacks: The proper protection will prevent malicious software from executing on a device, changing settings or loading additional compromised software.

Protect users from themselves: Anti-malware can also prevent users from visiting websites that are known to distribute malicious code.

Prevent proliferation: Properly configured anti-malware applications can prevent the spread of the bad juju if one device is infected.

Remediation metrics: Anti-malware can also be used to track metrics regarding the number of infections and the amount of time requires to clean them up.

Attack forensics: Anti-malware software can offer insight into specific malicious code and help admins understand what it's done to the compromised device or network.

Now that you’re convinced of the benefits of good network security, get on it!  And while you’re at it, be sure your IT staff is fully able to remove malware should it slip through and infiltrate your system.

As you dive deeper into security issues, keep in mind that if you’re running a virtual desktop environment, of course, the process will be a bit different than if you’re managing 65 independent desktop computers.

Either way, if you’re unsure how to get this done, Whitehat can definitely help you. Our experts have combined decades of experience in network security; we’ll beef up your environment to make sure you don’t get hit, or if you have been hit, we’re here to help you clean up the mess and put up defenses against further attacks.

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Topics: Security, Research and Strategy, Cybersecurity Breach

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