According to the latest research from cyber-experts, the number of malware attacks reported across the UK has nearly doubled in the past year. What’s worse, these attacks have become more advanced. Indeed, cyber-experts confirmed the recent rise in attacks can be largely attributed to a new, more sophisticated form of malware that has the ability to bypass traditional antivirus systems.
Malware attacks of any kind—advanced or not—can wreak serious havoc on your organisation. These attacks can target victims through a wide range of methods (e.g. email, web browsing and removable media) and cause large-scale damage to your workplace technology and systems—leading to business interruption concerns, the unauthorised distribution of sensitive company information and even loss of access to critical data.
Don’t let your organisation be the next victim of a devastating malware attack. Utilise the following guidance to keep your company protected from this soaring cyber-threat:
- Implement advanced protection—Be sure to install robust antivirus, malware and firewall protection on all workplace technology. Conduct routine updates on this software to maintain effectiveness.
- Block malicious websites—Malware attacks can often arise from browsing unsecured websites. Consider working with your IT department to block employee access to any malicious domains.
- Utilise encryption capabilities—Make sure all workplace technology possesses advanced data encryption capabilities. This practice will help keep sensitive information secure in the event that any of your organisation’s devices become compromised by a malware attack.
- Reduce removable media risks—Using removable media (eg USB drives) can carry a variety of malware risks, seeing as they often contain sensitive information and can be easy to infiltrate. With this mind, cyber-experts recommend prohibiting your employees from using removable media for work purposes. If you must use removable media, be sure to enforce these best practices.
- Provide staff training—Require routine cyber-security training for all employees to ensure they understand how to prevent a malware attack. Your training programme should cover topics such as how to detect suspicious device activity, common indicators of malicious links or emails, your organisation’s removable media protocol and how to respond to any malware incident.
- Create strong policies—Lastly, ensure that any workplace policies related to cyber-security address malware risks and enforce proper prevention and response practices.
Contains public sector information published by the ICO and licensed under the Open Government Licence.
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