Best Defenses Against Malware

Any good IT security plan has to deal with all sorts of malware. Malware is like a disease that enters your body and causes illness. There is no solution that can defend against all malware, just like there is no one medicine that can protect against all diseases. Each problem demands a different solution. But what tools do we have at our disposal to defend against malware, and how do we keep improving our data security against these attacks?

Defending Against Old Malware

If there is a way for someone to make money, no matter how distrustfully, then someone will do it. This has always been the truth in data security. Someone writes a program to protect you, then someone writes malware to harm you.

The first step is to detect that there is a program attacking you. Think of this like your anti-virus, or anti-malware software. These were created to track and detect to see if there are things going on in your system that there should not be. They can stop viruses from forming and spreading in your system, and help to remove infected files to stop from getting infected again.

As the sophisticated nature of the programs increased, so did the aggressiveness of the viruses that were getting created. This was the old model of defending against malware. Monitor and maintain your system and remove or alert when something questionable was going on.

Why anti-malware isn’t always enough?

Recently we discussed a client that was involved in a violent ransomware attack. The attack was so aggressive that even the best antivirus software available was not able to keep up with the attack. They had to rely on a newer software developed to look behind the scenes and see what was lurking in the background.

This kind of anti-breach software is going to be incredibly important in the effort to defend against malware. What we are seeing more and more is that someone will launch an attack that puts a program in the background. This program lets someone remotely check on your system. They can look around at your assets, your security, your weakness, and your strengths, and use this to form an attack against you.

Why Software Advances Are so Important

These background malware programs are used to create an attack plan on your IT security systems. These can be thoughtful, planned strikes that are designed to hit you where you are weakest, and when you least expect it, like during a long holiday.

The best way to defend against malware is to try and notice these breaches before the attack is launched. Background monitoring is not an especially big problem. Nothing has actually happened yet. But they are getting ready.

If we can create programs that alert us to this background activity then a good MSP should be able to help you deal with the infiltration before it becomes a fight for your business.

Attackers will keep making stronger malware, so our defense strategies against malware must always be improving. We have fought some of the most polished attacks in the cybersecurity world. We know what it takes to keep you and your data secure.

Getting an MSP is about having the peace of mind that if something does happen you won’t lose it all. ITS has fought the toughest and we know how best to help manage the data of your business in Los Angeles, Chicago, Phoenix, or Las Vegas. Give us a call to learn more about how we can help secure your data.