You must protect employees’ and clients’ sensitive data as a business owner. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency explains that malicious code includes files or programs that compromise data.
To protect your company from potential litigation, you must take appropriate measures to protect sensitive information.
Risks of malicious code against small businesses
Sensitive information may include social security numbers, financial information or company secrets. Nowadays, businesses have to use digitization to organize their files and to accept payment. While technology comes with various benefits, there are also risks too. When it comes to cyber criminals, you might hear of cyberattacks in the news when it hits a large corporation. However, cyberattacks are even more likely to occur with small businesses.
Malicious code can include viruses, trojan horses, worms and malicious files that exploit weaknesses in the open program. For instance, someone may send a PDF that looks official, but in reality, it exploits Adobe upon opening the PDF. Attackers often distribute files through email, websites and social media.
Protection against malicious code
To protect against malicious software, your business should have the most up-to-date antivirus software. The antivirus software protects all computers on your system. In addition, teach your employees to be cautious when opening any link or attachment. You should never click on an attachment if you do not know who sent it.
Regular software updates can also keep your network clean of malicious code. Keep your employee accounts limited. Not everyone should have the same permissions. If one employee becomes infected, it may not affect the rest of the system.
Protection against malicious code requires you to stay up-to-date with changing technology and anti-spyware and antivirus tools.
