What Are The Negative Affects of Malware?

As malware attacks continue to increase in frequency, businesses must take proactive steps to protect their enterprise data from theft or ransom.

IT security experts have revealed that there were over one million web attacks against individuals 365 days in 2015. Unfortunately the number of attacks didn’t slow down in 2016, which means that businesses took stronger security measures to protect their vital business data. Education and awareness of the negative affects of malware, as well as the steps needed to prevent these attacks, remains one of the best ways that businesses can properly protect their information and data.

How Can Malware Negatively Affect Your Business?

Hackers deliver malware to your computer by disguising emails, creating fake websites, or tricking you into directly downloading the malicious code. Once you have accidentally installed the malicious program, a number of activities can take place:

1. The malware can begin to replicate;
2. It can block access to certain files or the entire system;
3. Your desktop can be spammed with unwanted ads; or
4. It can capture keystrokes to better access secure areas of your enterprise network.

As these negative affects show, malware protection and detection is key to protecting your enterprise data.

What Are The Most Popular Types Of Malware?

Identifying the most popular types of malware attacks can help you to protect and detect malware attacks.

• Computer Virus — A virus is one of the most common types of malware. It is typically designed to replicate itself from one file to another for a wide variety of purposes.
• Trojan Horse — This type of malware is designed to remain harmless to programs, while simultaneously attempting to steal passwords of important files from the computer or account user.
• Worms — Worms are a type of malware that are designed to create widespread damage on an entire network by “jumping” from computer to computer.
• Spyware — As the name suggests, this type of malware is designed to monitor user activity, while simultaneously gathering information, including: passwords and login credentials.
• Logic Bombs — When triggered by a specific action, this type of malware can wipe a computer hard drive or crash an entire system.
• Ransomware — This new type of malware is designed to hold your computer, network, system, or data hostage until a set ransom is paid to the hackers.

In conclusion, understanding the harmful affects of malware can help you to create a proactive security approach to securing your network from current and future threats. Remember that employee education is the key to any IT security solution. To learn more about how to protect your network from malware attacks or for additional information on the latest data security threats contact Dynamic Quest!