Internet Security and Malware Control 2009
Denver Abernathy
Most of us don’t care what they’re called, but we just want to be rid of Internet viruses, e-mail worms, Trojans, spyware, adware, and whatever the next generation of Internet nuisances is. For purposes of this article, collectively, we’ll call these malicious programs/code “malware.” As antivirus software got better at catching viruses, e-mail worms became the threat. As users got savvier about opening unsolicited e-mails, Internet browsers were targeted in the form of Trojan Horses. Spyware is a constant threat, especially for those who like to install free/cheap software from the Internet. It seems there is no end to the barrage of threats and headaches that come with each of these little nightmares.
For business managers, each of these problems has a big dollar sign attached. Recently however, the direct costs associated with malware have declined a bit. Direct costs are related to detecting and eliminating malware, fixing computer damage caused by infections, loss of user productivity, loss of revenue caused by systems being down, etc.
The problem with using “direct costs” to evaluate the threat and the need for protection is that malware developers have gotten savvy enough to avoid many of the problems that cause them to be detected in the first place. Just as real viruses are most successful when they don’t kill their hosts before they’ve had a chance to fully take advantage of all those hosts have to offer, most modern computer malware would prefer to quietly hide on their hosts and glean all the data (aka credit card numbers, passwords, shopping habits, etc.) they can before being kicked off. They couldn’t do their jobs very well if they were destroying machines like their predecessors did. The destructive bugs are still out there, but they’re usually the easier ones to fend off. Most cyber theft can’t be captured in the direct cost calculations because it can’t be
traced back to the computer where the credit card or bank information was stolen from in the first place.
So what’s the answer? Sadly, there isn’t one answer. The best solution for business is to stop most of the malware at the Internet gateway. This is the shared point where your users access the Internet. Anything you let in through the gateway will be more difficult to detect and prevent. Below are the items that will give you the best chance at keeping your network clean:
| 1. E-mail Security |
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a. Spam filtering – all the e-mail filtration you can get. We recommend the combination of a spam firewall, either onsite or in the cloud and the use of a desktop filter, like Outlook’s Junk E-Mail application. |
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b. Antivirus scanning of all e-mail. Most spam filters include antivirus scanning of incoming e-mail. If yours doesn’t have reliably updated virus signatures, you’ll need antivirus software that continuously scans the information store for malware. |
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| 2. Web Filtering |
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a. Web filtering comes in a variety of forms and, like spam filtration, can be accomplished locally or in the cloud with either software applications or with hardware appliances. Web/browser filtering tools can usually double as monitoring/content-blocking tools, but don’t have to if you prefer not to be in the big-brother business. |
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| 3. Desktop Security |
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a. Antivirus software - Unfortunately, even with the security items above, desktop antivirus software is still necessary. Laptop users and file-sharing devices can still cause problems. |
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b. Software updates – Operating Systems, Internet browsers, and other software applications need to be patched on a regular basis. Most of this can be handled automatically, but not all. |
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If you have any questions about malware control and/or website blocking/filtering, please call Promethius at 317-733-2388.
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 Building Your Online Persona
Tony Valle
Most professionals that haven’t yet started to invest in social networking activities are quite confused about how it all works and why they should even bother. Social networking can look like meaningless tangle of cyber posts strewn across a vast and aimless internet frontier if nobody ever explains to you how it works.
Those who are successfully leveraging the power of social networking are anything but aimless. They know exactly what they are doing. Specifically, they are building what I like to call an “online persona.” Let’s look closely at one of my recent Twitter posts:
This single post is actually telling the reader a whole lot about me and my organization:
- My organization has a podcast
- We are building a new website
- We are building our site on the Drupal 6 platform
- I’m happy to share a guide for how to do what I’m doing
- I know enough about the Drupal community to know that “#drupal” is the accepted Hash Tag used on Twitter when discussing the Drupal platform.
Isn’t it amazing to see how much information is packed in to 140 characters or less? Multiply this by several posts a day across several networks. What I’m doing is consistently planting very strong clues about who I am, what I do and what I know. These posts are searchable and permanent.
Consider that anyone who stumbles across one of my posts can quickly review all my activity for a given period of time on a given network. These little bits of information delivered 140 characters at a time, when reviewed as a block, give amazing insight into who I am. There’s the magic.
Feel free to check my out on Twitter to see what I’ve been up to: http://twitter.com/pcindy
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