As businesses increasingly conduct transactions online, their confidential information is at constant risk of theft or corruption. Cybercriminals spend a lot of time and money looking for ways to access this information for a variety of reasons. Businesses that have their network successfully breached and their data accessed can suffer several adverse consequences such as financial loss, loss of customer confidence, and possible legal actions.
One of the basic security applications that every business owner must have to protect their data within their network is antivirus software. Antivirus software works by constantly scanning your files looking for computer viruses which are self-replicating pieces of malicious code designed to corrupt and destroy programs; any identified viruses are then quarantined and removed.
5 Reasons Why Having Antivirus Software Is An Integral Component Of Any Effective Cybersecurity Strategy
1) IDENTITY PROTECTION
Most viruses are designed to steal your personal information such as social security numbers, credit card information, and bank information among other things when your device is infected. The viruses upload your information to servers controlled by cybercriminals and can then be sold on the black market or used for other illegal activities. With an antivirus in place, any attempts to compromise your personal information will be rapidly noticed and neutralized.
2) ACTIVITY MONITORING
As part of how they perform their tasks, antivirus software constantly monitors all the files as well as traffic in and out of a network. They generate log files detailing scan history, type, and location of files within a network, types of network traffic, and other such information. These log files are very important when researching a significant event such as a data breach. Log files can also be used to monitor the activities of employees on their devices.
3) WEB PROTECTION AND ACCESS CONTROL
One of the most common ways that devices get infected by viruses is when an individual unknowingly visits an unsafe website and clicks on links on the webpage. When these malicious links are clicked, the virus is then downloaded to the device where it then proceeds to wreak havoc on programs and applications. With antivirus software, individuals are warned and sometimes redirected if they attempt to visit an infected website. This, consequently, results in a safer and more pleasant browsing experience.
4) PHISHING PROTECTION
With phishing, users are sent seemingly innocent emails that contain malicious links. These emails often look genuine and are designed to fool unsuspecting recipients into opening them and clicking on links within the email. Clicking on these malicious links triggers the release of the viruses which rapidly spreads and can infect the entire network if remedial actions are not immediately taken. Installation of antivirus software allows all incoming emails to be scanned in real-time for any pieces of malicious code; any detected infected emails are quarantined, and the virus is removed. In extreme cases, the infected email may be completely deleted and blocked from the network.
5) TWO-WAY FIREWALL
Most antivirus software also doubles as network firewalls; they monitor all incoming as well as outgoing traffic from a network. Based on the parameters set by the network administrators, the antivirus software can filter out data packets that do not meet its criteria. This filtering ability ensures that individuals within a network are not exposed to viruses or any other threats that could compromise their devices and personal information. These filtering parameters are kept updated regularly to keep up with the constantly evolving viruses.
Bottom Line
At Cyber Sainik, we know how essential cybersecurity is to the optimal functioning of a business network. We offer a cloud-based Security as a Service (SECaaS) designed to ensure that your business network is always protected from all kinds of online threats. For more information about Security as a Service, and to get started, contact us today.
