Shielding the Organization in the Fight Against Malware

Malware continues to be one of the top factors contributing to network compromise which may eventually lead to data breach. Malware attack has the costliest impact on organizations with an average total cost amounting to$2.4 million. This means close to $7,000 per day or $200,000 per month is incurred by victims across the globe. Moreover, these attacks cause significant damage to an organization infrastructure by compromising data, preventing or slowing down the running of computers and resulting in the loss of vital information.

Malware or malicious software is specifically designed to compromise or damage a computer without the knowledge of the organization or its end-users. There are various types of malware including spyware, keyloggers, true viruses, worms, or any type of malicious code that infiltrates a computer. No organization has remained unscathed from malware because affects all types and sizes of organizations. For instance, during a 4-week benchmark period for the 2017 Cost of Cybercrime Study, virtually all the participating organizations had attacks relating to viruses, worms and other malware.

There are several factors that make an organization vulnerable to malware attacks:

• The end-users are one of the most vulnerable sources because their behaviours are likely to introduce a malware into the network;
• Improper software management practices, including defects in the operating system design or having all of the computers on a network run the same operating system can introduce vulnerabilities and reduce the likelihood of quickly containing a malware;
• Poor quality management standards and practices is another contributing factor since slowness in conducting patch management in key software applications or outdated endpoint security applications place the organization at significant risk of compromise, data breach and costly remediation.

Given the direction of malware tactics, comprehensive security practices and procedures are key steps in fighting against them. An organization should therefore engage in the following investments:

• Security awareness and training: End-user security awareness and training are essential, since the basic advice of being vigilant about the email attachments or links that are opened or the websites visited still holds true;
• Security policy development: Comprehensive security policies help to highlight vulnerabilities and constraints within the environment and propose strategies to address them. Implementing safe practices to reduce the risk of malware is one consideration for improving the security profile of the organization;
• Endpoint security systems: Reliable endpoint security solutions are able to provide advanced malware detection and remediation and block malicious websites, among other incident response and management functions; and
• Security information and event management (SIEM) tools: An investment in reliable SIEM software products, including security analytics tools, will help to reduce the cost associated with detecting threats.

Wilson Consulting Group (WCG) offers a comprehensive suite of services that can assist an organization in its fight against malware and reduce the risks of malware and other vulnerabilities. WCG offers vulnerability assessment and privacy assessment to help in determining your risk of malware attacks, and guides you in choosing the right endpoint solutions for your environment. We also offer security and development training, security analytics solutions and other services that can assist your organization in the fight against malware. Make the step in securing all vectors and channels in your organization to minimize risks and improve your security profile.