Your business may be under attack, but you may not know until serious damage has been done. Keep yourself and your business protected with software and tools.
If you own a business, you may be vulnerable when it comes to cyber attacks. This is true whether you have five employees or well over 200. Cyber attacks do not discriminate, meaning you should be prepared to ward off potential danger before it arises. You can work on protecting your business network by downloading and using efficient antivirus software and fortifying your computers and network with the best available methods of protection.
Businesses and Cyber Attacks
If you own or help to run a business, you will need to know some important information and statistics about cyber attacks. The U.S. House Small Business Subcommittee on Health and Technology recently cited a study regarding small businesses and cyber attacks. The results were quite surprising. For example, the study found that almost 20 percent of all cyber attacks target businesses with 250 employees or less. The study also discovered that nearly 60 percent of small businesses are forced to close down within a six month span after the attack.
Today’s online businesses are subject to advanced persistent threat, which is a term for a specific type of cybercrime in which programs and tools available on the internet are used to spy on various corporate targets. In addition, many hackers are quite intelligent and have been specifically trained to watch for and take action when internet vulnerabilities are discovered. These attackers then look at a company’s accounts and finances and attempt to gain access to valuable information about employees, such as their Social Security numbers, credit cards, and more.
As if this does not cause enough worry, the same source reports that a study by CyberFactors has found that approximately 40 percent of breaches come from in-house employees themselves. Some of these employees have may have been fired or are unhappy with the company while others are inherently criminals.
Antivirus Software for Windows Security
If your company is operating on a Windows system, you will need to keep the system safe and secure at all times. A good way to do this is to download antivirus software to secure Windows. One of the most secure methods is to visit the official Microsoft website. Here, you will find an array of products that you know are official and effective. In many instances, you can download the products for free or at least try a free trial version.
These programs, which fall under the category of Microsoft Security Essentials, are useful for guarding against spyware, viruses, and other malicious forms of software. These essentials are designed to protect businesses of various sizes and offer automatic updates, simple and free downloads, and the ability to quietly protect your most valuable information in the background without slowing down your computer.
Protecting Computers against Viruses
One of the best ways to protect your business network against data breaches and cyber attacks is to understand common ways that criminals tend to attack their victims. For example, a study by Symantec has found that more and more businesses are relying on smartphones, which are generally easier to hack. In fact, vulnerabilities in these phones have risen from 115 in 2009 to 163 in 2010. This is just one of many examples that shows the more connected a business is, the higher risk it faces when it comes to cyber attacks.
You can also keep yourself safe by installing the maximum protection software for your computer against viruses. Having maximum protection software on your computer is one of the best ways to protect against viruses and malicious software, but it is vital to keep the program up to date at all times. Many viruses were spread through contaminated files in emails, but now various “worms” are frequent on many websites and attack when they detect a vulnerability within a system or network.
If you own a business, you are at risk for a cyber attack. As studies have shown, such attacks can have extremely negative consequences on a business. Fortunately, you can keep your company protected by downloading the best protection software and identifying any weak spots within your network.