Protect Yourself From Costly Viruses

When looking at reducing risks imposed by viruses and malware (malicious software that poses a risk to your computer, network or data that may or may not be intentionally installed) on your network, there are several steps you can take to mitigate common problems that come up when using computers connected to the internet. The good news is most of these steps can be implemented by making available and maintaining services on your network. Most other steps can be implemented through workplace policy, but these policies must be enforced to be effective. As with any security concern a multi-tiered approach is the best bet. This means that if one layer of your virus defense strategy fails, the next layer will offer further protection. While no methods are ironclad, the following steps should be taken to best protect your network.

Organizational Level Responsibilities

1. Implement a business class firewall with and anti-virus (AV) component to it.  If the organization is large enough to justify it (more than 100 users), consider a separate network level device such as a Barracuda protection device.
2. Use a mail filtering service such as McAfee's MX Logic or Google's Postini to scan mail for common spam patterns which often carry viruses.
3. Have up to date desktop level virus protection such as Symantec Endpoint Protection, Trend Micro or AVG.  Make sure that the product you choose covers the components you need protected such as PCs and Macs.
4. Have a server level AV software installed to scan email and files stored on your network.
5. Make sure that all of these services are kept up to date.  Engine updates and virus definition updates are critical as the hackers are constantly working on new ways into your network.  You can do this with a combination of server based software engines, network group policies, or even a managed service such as ForeSite's VISION.  Also important is a regular review of what these services are catching to make sure that no holes are left open.
6. Perform regular operating system and software updates on your servers and desktops.  Viruses often try to exploit bugs in a software's code to infiltrate your system.  Regular updates can help plug the holes left in the original release of those software packages. This maintenance can be done manually on each computer, by setting up an update server on your network or through a managed service.
7. Implement an acceptable use workplace policy for your technology.  Some organizations prevent the connection of any device not owned by the company from any attachment to their network (even remotely).   Others require that all of the protections above are installed on any device on the network.  And, you should make it clear what is proper and improper use of the Internet to avoid someone going to a website that tried to attack your network.
8. Properly secure your wireless network.  While it may be convenient to have your wireless easily accessible, it can leave your business wide open for attack. All wireless networks should be secured with encryption and a strong password (a password containing upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols) and all network ports that are not in use should be disconnected or disabled.

Individual User Responsibilities

1. Do not download files from websites that you are unfamiliar with.  Even if you are familiar with the site, any file should be scanned with an anti-virus program before being opened.
2. If the organization has left performing updates as optional (not required) on your workstation, do not skip them.  They are the only way to ensure that the latest viruses will be caught if they reach your computer.
3. Use common sense.  Hackers are actively looking for new ways into your computer as you read this.  Don't be fooled by "get rich quick" scams, emails that ask for your "updated account information", or any offers that look too good to be true.  They are too good to be true and they are often the gateway to some nasty viruses.

While this may seem like a costly endeavor, the cost of recovering data and computers from viruses can be even costlier.  We generally estimate that to completely remove a virus (if we can even completely remove it without rebuilding the machine) will cost between $500 and $1000.  And that doesn't count the lost productivity cost or lost data cost of it is not all recoverable which can be additional thousands of dollars per virus.  If you do the math, you will see how cost effective it is to be proactive in protecting your network, rather than risking a costly cleanup.