Safeguarding Your Business from Malware

Malware can be a scary thing for a business of any size. This is because it stands to put not only your business in harm’s way but can lead to the vulnerability of employee and customer information. Out of all the different types of data threats that businesses find themselves having to worry about, malware attacks are among the most common. Cyberattacks utilizing malware are a huge threat to businesses – ranging from small businesses to huge corporations.

According to a study from Kaspersky Lab’s investigation into the subject, over 100 banks across the world fell victim to malware attacks in 2013 alone, suffering up to $1 billion dollars in losses. With malware attacks becoming more and more sophisticated with each passing year, you may be wondering what you can do to safeguard your business from malware. Today, TeknaByte will be highlighting a few strategies you can use to keep your business safe from this type of cyberattack.

How to Protect Your Business from Malware Attacks

As a business owner, the most important step in protecting your business from cyberattacks, such as malware attacks, is being aware of the threat they pose to your business. As many business owners tend to downplay both the prominence and seriousness of cyberthreat, this is the reason that hackers easily gain access to their systems and vulnerable information. By being aware of these types of cyberthreats, business owners can look to the options before them to protect their businesses. Let’s talk about the options at your disposal as a business owner.

Make Sure Your Network is Secure

Put simply, the importance of network security in combating malware attacks cannot be understated. This means having a firewall in place to both safeguard and monitor access to your network, which is crucial. Without such protections, both your network and data are vulnerable to unauthorized use and activity, and this could allow for the introduction of dangerous malware into your system. If malware was to find its way into your business network, this can result in disaster in the form of lost revenue and data. In the worst case, such attacks can lead to destruction of your entire business, so make sure that your network is secure first and foremost.

Be Sure to Install Anti-Malware, Antivirus, and Anti-Ransomware Software
The next step in protecting your business from malware involves multiple layers of security. For this reason, simply having one antivirus installation is far from enough. By investing in several security installations, including anti-malware, antivirus, and anti-ransomware software, you can provide a stronger level of defense against malware and other harmful cyberattacks. You can install this software yourself or hire an experienced IT team to do it for you. Don’t skip this all-important step!

Update Your Systems, Software, and Applications Regularly

One of the most common ways that hackers gain access to your system or software is by injecting dangerous malware through unpatched holes in security. For this reason, developers are constantly creating updates and patches to keep up with the evolution of malware and cyberattacks, filling in the “holes” which hackers can gain access through in outdated programs. By regularly updating your systems, software, and applications, you can decrease the chances of a malware attack, so don’t ignore the update option the next time it pops up on your computer!

Educate Your Employees

Another way to protect your business from malware is by educating your employees. Studies have shown that numerous data attacks are nothing more than the result of employees being unable to identify a malware attack, unfortunately aiding the hackers in their attempts to gain access. By training your employees to recognize potential malware attacks, such as malicious links and phishing scams, you can safeguard your business and its data. Be sure to regularly train your employees to not only recognize but avoid malware attacks.

Utilize Encryption Software

Finally, another way that you can protect your business from malware attacks is through the utilization of encryption software. In the event that malware does breach your security, leaving your data compromised, it’s really important that you have a backup plan. Part of this backup plan involves encrypting your data.

When your data is encrypted, your data is encoded and cannot be translated or understood by a hacker. This, in turn, makes any data a hacker receives virtually useless. For this reason, you should take care to encrypt all of your business’s data, as well as store a backup version of all of your data in several locations or hard drives. This ensures that in the worst-case scenario, your data will not be exploited or permanently lost. Always invest in encryption software!

Protect Your Business from Malware with TeknaByte!

Regularly updating your software, as well as being aware of and utilizing the proper security software, can be both challenging and time-consuming. That is why it’s best to entrust these tasks to a dedicated team of IT professionals with the knowledge and skill to keep your business safe! At TeknaByte, we pride ourselves with being the best team of IT professionals in Indianapolis and beyond.

TeknaByte offers a variety of IT services that all contribute to keeping your business protected, from network security to managed IT solutions. Don’t let malware jeopardize your business, employees, and customers. Give us a call at (317) 620-3900 or contact us online We’re here to help you protect your business from cyberattacks of all forms!