What are the Countermeasures to Prevent the Spread of Malware (Viruses) Increased by Telecommuting?
Remote work has become completely established in our lives. In telecommuting, accessing the in-house system from the outside greatly increases the risk of malware (virus) infection. Particular caution is required if security measures are not in place on company-issued PCs, tablets, and smartphones, or if personal PCs are used. If infected with malware, not only will operations be suspended, but confidential information may also be leaked. This time, we will explain in an easy-to-understand manner the threats of “malware” and “ransomware” and the security measures necessary to prevent infection.
What is malware?
Malware is a general term for “malicious software/programs” created with the intention of performing unauthorized and harmful actions. It is a coined word that combines the English words “malicious” and “software.” Typical malware includes “viruses,” “worms,” and “Trojan horses.”
Virus
A computer virus is malware that rewrites part of a program and “self-replicates.” It infiltrates by partially tampering with programs in the PC and creates “clones” to propagate, so it is called a “virus” after infectious diseases. In many cases, the spread of the virus cannot be seen, which is very troublesome.
Worm
A worm is malware that “self-replicates” like a virus. Unlike viruses, it can exist independently without parasitizing other programs. It is called a worm because of its origin. If infected with a worm, it will access an unspecified number of IP addresses and spread the infection. Some worms can be infected simply by connecting to the network, making it a difficult malware to defend against.
Trojan horse
A Trojan horse is malware that infiltrates the inside of a PC by disguising itself as a document file, image file, or app that looks fine on the outside. It becomes infected when you open a file or app. Like worms, it can operate as stand-alone software and is malware that manipulates the device by commands from outside. Its name comes from the Greek army’s plan in the ancient Trojan War. In addition to the above, malware includes “spyware” that sends the internal information of an infected PC to the outside, “keyloggers” that send the user’s keyboard operations to the outside as they are, and “backdoors” that open a back door on the network for intrusion.
What is Ransomware?
Among malware that illegally invades a PC with malicious intent, those that demand a “ransom” are called ransomware. Ransomware is a coined word that combines “ransom” and “software.” If infected with ransomware, the data stored on the PC will be encrypted without permission and become unusable, or the smartphone will become inoperable. It is a terrifying virus that displays a screen demanding a “ransom” to remove the restriction. There have been cases in which large companies have been targeted for the purpose of large amounts of ransom, which has become a social problem.
Ransomware Infection Route
One of the typical infection routes for ransomware is caused by opening an attachment to an email sent by a criminal. Caution is required for methods that make you open attached files in emails disguised as “invoices” or “absence notifications.” Another is that you can get a virus just by accessing a website. If there are deficiencies in the security of the PC’s OS or software, you will be infected with ransomware just by viewing a website that has been set up by an attacker.
Ransomware Infection Examples
Cases of corporate and public institution networks being infected with ransomware are also occurring frequently. Here are some famous infection examples of ransomware.
Wanna Cry
This is ransomware that caused more than 300,000 infections in more than 150 countries in May 2017. If infected with WannaCry, the files in the PC will be locked, and a countdown of “until the ransom is doubled” and “until all files are deleted” and “payment method by Bitcoin” will be displayed.
Tesla Crypt
This is ransomware that raged in December 2015. If infected with Tesla Crypt, the files in the PC will be locked, and a message requesting a ransom will be created in a text file and an HTML file. In the case of domestic infections, the encrypted files often had the extension “.vvv”, so it is also called the “vvv virus.”
Oni
This is ransomware that has caused a lot of damage to Japanese companies since 2017. A characteristic of Oni is that it encrypts after lying dormant in the infiltrated PC for a long period of time. It is said to be ransomware aimed at collecting confidential information rather than ransom.
Malware/Ransomware Infection Prevention Measures
Many cases of malware infection in companies are caused by employee carelessness. It is important to raise employee awareness, such as “do not open emails that you do not recognize,” “do not click suspicious links,” and “do not access suspicious sites.” As a manager (administrator), it is essential to take measures to directly protect the company’s PCs and servers. At a minimum, be sure to apply the fix programs distributed by vendors, called “security patches.” Some are automatically applied, but caution is required as manual action may be required. 43% of cyberattacks that occur in SMEs are caused by malware. In addition, 72% of SMEs that were victims of server attacks were forced to close down. From this perspective, it is essential to introduce malware countermeasures software.
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Can be installed even if there is no “information systems department” or “IT person in charge”
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No need for an in-house server because it is a cloud tool
“EXO Security” is a cloud tool. Therefore, there is no need to install an in-house server for installation.
Low-cost, all-in-one security solution
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Please feel free to contact us at globalsupport@jiran.com.
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