If you aren’t an IT expert, you likely don’t know the ins and outs of cyberattacks—all you know is that attacks cause serious financial and reputation damage, and you need to defend your network at all costs.
As a business owner, you don’t need to know everything about every type of cyberthreat. However, you should know the basics and have enough background knowledge to be able to provide your IT or SecOps team with the resources they need to do their jobs.
All companies, from small local businesses to nation-wide enterprises, can experience devastating losses from a single cyberattack. In today’s threat landscape, businesses need to protect themselves against both malware and non-malware attacks, including ransomware.
Understanding how those two attack strategies work and how you can protect your business against them is essential to staying safe in this digital age.
Malware Attacks
A malware attack is when a hacker plants malware in your network, system, or device to cause irreversible damage. Attackers use malware to get a hold of passwords, financial information, or client data. Other times, they use your network of devices to mine for cryptocurrency, achieving financial gain while eating away at your devices’ performance and graphics cards. There are various types of malware that attackers use, depending on their goal:
- Worms– Worms are self-replicating malware that spreads from one device to the next using network vulnerabilities. Left unchecked, they could consume your bandwidth and overload servers.
- Trojan Horses– A Trojan Horse deceives a user into thinking they are harmless software. After it infects a device, it overloads it with ads and keyloggers, enabling it to steal sensitive information.
- Spyware– As the name suggests, spyware is a type of malware that intercepts your internet and steals sensitive data and information.
- Adware– Adware generates direct revenue for its developers by showing the users of infected device’s ads non-stop.
- Wipers– When wipers infect a device, they wipe specific files or entire hard drives irreversibly.
- Scareware– Scareware uses social engineering tactics to manipulate users into downloading or buying software they believe is harmless.
Non-Malware Attacks
Non-malware attacks, often called fileless malware, are not full software but a script that uses the infected device’s already-available resources. They are much harder to avoid and detect than their software-based counterpart and much harder to get rid of. Common fileless malware attacks include:
- Phishing Emails– Phishing emails use social engineering to trick users into clicking on a link or giving away sensitive information. Typically, they end up running a script that steals data from their device.
- Malicious Downloads– They usually hitch a ride along with legit software and then burrow into your system and utilize it to cause damage.
- Malicious Websites– Websites that mimic a legit website’s appearance and then attempt to use your trust to install malware or give away your information are called malicious websites.
Defending Against Malware and Non-malware Attacks
Unfortunately, legacy antivirus software can’t protect devices from both non-malware and malware attacks. This presents a major problem as fileless malware attacks continue to rise in popularity. According to data from 2019, fileless malware attacks grew 265 percent since the same time the previous year.
If traditional software can’t detect non-malware attacks, what can? Newer cybersecurity systems that pair next-generation antivirus software and endpoint detection software can easily prevent both malware and non-malware attacks. You can click here to learn more about next generation virus protection.
Aside from investing in updated software, there are many ways you can protect against malware and non-malware attacks. The easiest to implement for your company’s daily internet use include:
- Keep Your Operating System Up-to-date– With every new update, the developers fix security gaps in your operating system, making it safer to use and less likely to get hacked.
- Secure Your Network– Your network is the access point to all devices connected to it. Make sure it’s always encrypted and has a strong and unique password.
- Train Employees– The key to securing your business network is to get all employees involved. Make sure your staff members can recognize phishing emails and suspicious links and know what to do when they suspect malicious activity.
- Limit Authorization– To protect your most sensitive data, limit access to only those who absolutely need it. The more people you have with privileges, the higher the chances of someone falling for an attack.
- Disable Macros– Macros are short, automated scripts that many data analytics use. However, they are easy to exploit, so it’s better to disable them when not in use.
Protection and Prevention
When most of your company’s assets in digital form, it’s better to be safe than sorry. In addition to investing in advanced security software, make sure you educate yourself and your staff on cyber threats and how to avoid them. After all—most modern attacks require a human error.