Today businesses small and large alike rely heavily upon the Internet to conduct, well, business. It is very important for the productivity and security of your organization that you safeguard yourself while surfing the net. Malware is a real threat today, designed to steal your personal information and use your machine to spread spam and malware without your knowledge. You might think you know how to do this, that web safety is nothing but commonsense but the truth is malware is a lot more sophisticated today and harder to detect. Here are 5 tips to help you safely surf the net for business.
(non) FACT # 1: My business is safe because we have never been infected by malware
The problem with malware is that you could be infected and be completely unaware. Today’s more sophisticated malware may now be downloaded onto your computer through the web without your consent: either by simply downloading without any required user action or by disguising itself as something else.
(non) FACT # 2: I have complete control over business web usage
If you do not have a web filtering device for your business, then you cannot possibly have any idea what your employees are doing on the internet. More than 40% of business internet use is unchecked and focused upon inappropriate sites, 1 to 2 hours per day per user. You might think you have blocked inappropriate sites at work, but the truth is anonymous proxies make it very easy for employees to bypass policy; in fact there are over 1.8 million ways to do this.
(non) FACT # 3: Only inexperienced users are at risk
You might be a very experienced computer and Internet user. You are aware of what sites are harmful and should be avoided. You are aware not to download anything. You are safe. Wrong. Unfortunately more than 83% of malware hosting sites are in fact legitimate and trusted sites that have been hijacked. Not only that by “drive-by downloads” (see above article) occur simply by visiting an infected site: no user action is required.
(non)FACT # 4: Firefox is more secure than Explorer
You might have heard about the Internet Explorer vulnerability Microsoft addressed in December of 2009. You might now believe that Explorer is not as safe as other browser options. The truth, however, is that since all browsers are an execution environment for JavaScript, the programming language of the web, all cybercriminals use them for malware execution and therefore they are all equally at risk. Malware engineers also utilize plug-ins such as Adobe Acrobat reader that run across all browsers. Regarding Firefox in particular, 2008 study findings from security research firm Secunia discovered the number of browser exploits for Firefox to be 115: Explorer came in last with only 31 and Safari with 32.
(non)FACT # 5: A lock icon ensures site security
Many are familiar with the lock icon located in the left corner of the URL bar of the browser. This icon indicates that there is an SSL encrypted connection between the browser and the server to protect the interception of sensitive business data. It does not protect one from malware. In fact it is actually the perfect opportunity for malware to infect a computer as a data security device like SSL renders a machine completely blind to all encrypted connections. Malware also has the ability to parade as an SSL certificate by exploiting a vulnerability in the site, making users feel secure while visiting an infected or phishing site.
Conclusion
Now that you know all of the hidden risks lurking about on the web, how do you go about protecting yourself and your company? That is simple. Visit www.Bryley.com/Solutions to see all of our options for securing your entire business network, end-to-end, gateway to endpoints, from malware attacks.
Want to learn more?
Contact Bryley Systems today.
Call 888.280.5799 or email Sales@Bryley.com
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