News headlines are a constant reminder that malware attacks and data leakage are on the rise. High-profile incidents that make big news might seem out of the ordinary. Yet businesses of every size face similar risks in the everyday acts of using digital technology and the internet for legitimate purposes. Anti-virus technology was a first and extremely necessary response to security threats that have escalated over the past decade. The original anti-virus concept blocked attacks by using patterns, or signatures, to identify malicious software code. Signature-based detection was sufficient when threats were fewer, farther between and generally less dangerous.
Now that organized criminals relentlessly troll for vulnerabilities, the risk is high for any organization that uses technology in ordinary and legitimate ways. Because exposure lies in such routine situations, organizations must update their protection beyond traditional anti-virus. As news headlines show, letting your guard down has dangerous consequences. Here are eight everyday threats, related incidents from the real world and countermeasures you can put in place.
1. The zero-day threat
2. Working outside the firewall
3. The unpatched PC
4. The uncontrolled application
5. Web insecurity
6. The lost laptop
7. Misdirected email
8. The infected USB device
