How to protect your Connecticut small business from malicious attacks
Running a small business will see you come across all sorts of challenges. You’ll need to design innovative and appealing products for the consumer market. You’ll need to advertise and market them well. You’ll need to implement fulfilment services to get your products to your consumers. The list goes on. These are all inevitable steps that will come hand in hand with operating a company. But there are challenges that can be avoided and, when it comes down to it, are best avoided wherever possible. One of these is malware attacks. Here’s some more information on the subject for you!
What is Malware?
Let’s start out by defining what malware actually is. While this is a term that people throw about a lot, many of us are still not entirely sure what it means and, consequently, can’t plan on how to protect ourselves and our businesses from it. Put simply, malware is short for “malicious software”. It is any software that is used by cybercriminals to negatively impact you or your business. There are three main forms of malware. These are:
- A worm – this is a standalone piece of malicious software that reproduces itself and spreads from one computer to another.
- A virus – this is a piece of computer code that inserts itself within the code of another standalone program. It will then forces that program to take malicious action and spread itself.
- A trojan – this is a program that cannot reproduce itself but masquerades as something the user wants. It will then trick the user into activating it so it can do its intended damage and spread further.
How to Protect Your Business from Malware
Of course, you’re going to want to make sure that your small business steers clear of worms, viruses and trojans wherever possible. Not only will this help to protect sensitive data (and your business’ reputation), but it will also prevent you from forking out money on repairing the damage of a malware attack. But where can you start? Here are a few steps that will help you along the way!
Invest in Security
The first step that you should take to protect your business from malware is to invest in security. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that simply installing antivirus software is enough. Your business’ data should really be protected by multiple layers of security. An antivirus IT company in Connecticut will be able to help you to install ivirus, anti-malware, and anti-ransomware suites. They will be able to evaluate your current operations, identifying any weaknesses and recommending changes to make to your security system.
Secure Your Network
You should also make sure to secure your network. You can achieve this by installing a firewall. This will be your business’ first line of defense when it comes to cyberattacks. The firewall will be able to protect your business, even when people are connecting to the internet through VoIP, media streaming or anything else. You should also talk to your IT company about setting up a private network for you and your staff to connect to.
Encrypt Your Data
Another good step to take is to encrypt your data. This means that if cybercriminals or hackers do manage to breach your security, you will be provided with an extra level of protection. Encryption will ensure that your data is useless to third-party attacks.
These steps are simple when you work with the right professionals. So, reach out to a good IT provider and they’ll be able to help you along the way!
