There are new viruses created daily that pose a threat to simple surfing, game play and email as well as watching videos or working on your accounting software. However, ransomware infections are more frequent and serious than ever. Banks, airlines, and utilities were targeted in May 2017, hospitals and countless other businesses fell victim to yet another ransomware attack the following month, a third occurrence struck in October 2017 and Atlanta’s City Government went down on March 21, 2018.
All considered, it is important to take a multi-layered approach to keeping your data and computer safe online. We recommend an anti-virus program and an anti-malware protection. Why? Because as of the writing of this post, there isn’t a standalone solution as effective as running both simultaneously.
Anti-virus programs such as Eset Nod 32 has made strides toward improving their ransomware and malware threat detection and prevention, but still fall short of necessary capabilities in this realm. Malwarebytes has a phenomenal solution to block malware and ransomware. Their Endpoint protection package, touted to replace anti-virus programs, hasn’t been reputably tested or viewed in the industry as an anti-virus solution to date.
A third layer of security is an external firewall. This firewall lies outside that provided by your computer and router. Firewalls such as Sonic Wall provide security suites with protections against a variety of threats, content filtering, ransomware attacks, hardware replacement and support. While many with external firewalls are running business networks, it can be beneficial for home users, especially those who work from home.
Finally, there is no software or hardware solution in existence that is foolproof. If you click on the bad link, open the infected email or let that nice person from Turindestan remotely access your computer and now you’re locked out, you need to have a backup plan. Literally. There are cloud solution providers that can automatically back up the data on your home or business computers to reduce the likelihood of data loss. Securely access your data from any internet connected computer, download a copy of a critical file or restore your entire backup to another computer.
So take a few minutes and give us a call or stop by the office for a security checkup. We can assess your computer and/or networks to determine where potential security issues lie and create a custom, layered security solution for you.