Why so much malware!

Really? Who has the time or motivation to create all those malicious programs and malware?

We get asked this question often, usually when someone is presented with figures of just how much malicious intent is out there and how lucrative it is. To be fair, the figures are absolutely crazy and hard to comprehend, but try to wrap your head around this…
Look at the graph below. No, it is not representing Bitcoins rise to fame, but rather the number of registered malicious programs captured by the AV-TEST institute. At 250,000 new malicious programs daily, 2017 totaled over 700,000,000 and 2018 has already surpassed this.

Image and stats from the great resources at https://www.av-test.org/en/statistics/

To put this rise into perspective, 2006 barely registers on the graph! In reality, malware is no longer the job of individuals wanting to see how much havoc they can cause but rather it is automated, and available to anyone as ‘as-a-service’. That’s correct, you can now procure an automated service that will build your own brand of malware to use as you wish, which helps explain the massive increase in numbers… you no longer need to know what you are doing, you just need the intent.

So what does all this mean?

Well, it means no matter what you do or how small your company is, you are a target. Not because someone is targeting you specifically, but because they can literally target everyone connected to the internet with a single click. Hence the rise in ransomware, the new flavor of risk that heavily impacts a business every 40 seconds and represents 6 out of 10 malware payloads in 2017, which according to AV-TEST would equate to approx. 420,000,000 attacks.
While this is all intimidating, there are some simple steps you can take to help protect yourself right now.

• Have a reputable Antivirus (AV) installed and updated on ALL machines
• Spend the money on AV that includes ransomware features like auto-rollback, the free stuff doesn’t cut it
• Ensure you have a firewall enabled on your computer and configured properly
• Keep your operating system up to date with the latest patches
• Choose random passwords and invest in a quality password manager to make life easier
• Stay away from dodgy websites
• If you receive an email from someone you don’t know and it has an attachment, don’t open it… delete it.
• Backup your data regularly, test it regularly and keep a copy off-site
• Call an expert

http://www.ctservices.com.au