If you visit sites of ancient civilizations, you will find a common thread among them when it came to defense against aggressors. They almost always had more than one line of defense. Entire cities were surrounded by walls of solid rock. Castles were built with moats, draw bridges and soldiers on the lookout. Any attack on these fortresses was met with relentless and effective defenses. The same is true when it comes to virus protection. Effective virus protection must have layers of protection that extend from your Internet connection down to each device on your network. Otherwise, you’re leaving the castle gate open for anyone to walk through. Here are our recommendations for effective virus protection. We’ll start outside the castle and work our way in.
1. Dig a moat for your email to drown spam Email is one of the primary attack vectors used by virus writers. Email must be properly scanned for viruses and spam by a spam filter before it reaches your network.
Tip: Do not open files attachment unless you are expecting them even if they are from a name you know.
2. Build an advanced drawbridge to control traffic Typical office networks have one entry and exit to the information super highway. Hackers and virus writers are constantly looking for ways to knock down your door. Firewalls build a hedge of protection between you and the rest of the World Wide Web. Firewalls are also capable of enhanced features such as gateway antivirus and intrusion protection. These tools will detect malicious activity as it enters your network gateway before it reaches your computer.
Tip: Don’t buy over the counter routers from local office supply stores. These routers usually do not provide the level of security necessary for business networking.
3. Equip your soldiers with advanced weaponry Is your computer nagging you to install Windows Updates? Don’t ignore it. These alerts contain critical security updates that plug the loopholes that hackers use to infiltrate your computer.
Tip: Make sure your Windows Update settings are configured to allow updates to install and leave your computer on overnight at least one night per week to allow time to install and process updates.
4. Man the guard towers 24/7 – Antivirus software on your computer is your last line of defense. Your antivirus software must be up to date with the latest definitions that tell the antivirus program how to detect the newly released viruses. Schedule your antivirus software to run routine full system scans at least once a week. Also, make sure you are using the latest version of the antivirus software available.
Tip: Your antivirus software will usually have a date associated with the last definition file that was downloaded. If the date is more than two weeks old, something’s not right. Open your virus software and attempt a manual update of the definitions.
As with the building of ancient fortresses, it takes a team of experts to design and build a defense system to withstand today’s advanced computer attacks. We are here to help you rest easy knowing that your systems are protected with these best practices so you can concentrate on building your business. Give us a call today. 866-529-1568
