Fileless Malware and Vaporworms: The Latest Threats to Your Jacksonville Business
FILELESS MALWARE AND VAPORWORMS: THE LATEST THREATS TO YOUR JACKSONVILLE BUSINESS
JACKSONVILLE MALWARE EVOLVED
Malware attacks keep appearing in the news, because they keep evolving at a pace faster than traditional security systems. Cyber criminals have been able to stay one step ahead by learning how to adapt to cyber defenses, especially over-the-counter antivirus protection.
If antivirus software is designed to secure the front door, hackers will eventually create malware to sneak through the back door. A great example of this evolution is fileless malware.
WHAT IS FILELESS MALWARE?
Traditional malware focuses on attacking digital files. This could be anything from a corrupt application to a malicious pdf. Once the file has been run or downloaded, the malware goes to work and infects your computer or network with a wide range of attacks. These attacks could be anything from annoying ones that slow down your computer to very serious ones that steal sensitive information and extort money from their victims. And because of this, most antivirus software is designed to find infected files and quarantine and delete them before they can be opened and downloaded.
But with fileless malware, cyber criminals have figured out how to bypass files altogether, and thus, bypass antivirus software that’s busy looking for corrupt files. Instead, fileless malware never writes itself to the disk and operates solely within your computer’s memory. This makes fileless malware much harder to detect and a great threat to your Jacksonville business.
WHAT ARE VAPORWORMS?
A dangerous new type of fileless malware has emerged called “vaporworms.” Vaporworms are more malicious than traditional fileless malware, because they can propagate and spread throughout your network without the aid of human interaction. Instead, the vaporworms look for any weakness in the system they can exploit to gain access without having to rely on an employee downloading or running a corrupt file. This allows the vaporworms to create more chaos and do more damage to businesses of any size.
HOW YOU CAN PROTECT YOUR JACKSONVILLE BUSINESS
- Identify and patch weaknesses
Always be sure to keep your programs fully updated. These updates often include patches to fix vulnerabilities spotted by the developers. Leaving any vulnerability open makes it much easier for cyber criminals to exploit weaknesses in your security.
- Scan for vulnerabilities
Administrators and IT support experts can scan for vulnerabilities at any time. Since vaporworms are not likely to be detected by traditional antivirus software, vulnerability scanning allows you to be more proactive and better prepare for future attacks.
- Pen Testing
Penetration testing, also known as “ethical hacking,” can be performed by an IT support expert to simulate a cyber attack. These types of simulations are a great way to discover weaknesses that vaporworms can exploit. Knowing what you need to shore up is an effective way to defend your Jacksonville business against these malicious attacks.
WORKFORCE IT SUPPORT JACKSONVILLE
Now that you know more about the dangers of fileless malware and vaporworms, it’s important to upgrade your security and protect your Jacksonville business. Workforce IT of Jacksonville has the IT services and experience to prevent and remove any type of malware and can provide both remote and on-site IT support. Call today to give your Jacksonville business the protection it needs. 904.638.8406.
