Think Your Anti-Virus Software is Catching Everything? Think again.

The antivirus programs we are familiar with work by scanning your hard drive for signatures known to be associated with malware.  Your antivirus software recognizes a malicious signature and quarantines or removes the file associated with it.  The problem here lies in the software having to recognize the signature first.  By 2018, malware was being discovered at the rate of 350,000 new threats each day.  Clearly, it’s quite easy for malicious files to be on your computer before your software is able to recognize the signature as dangerous.

There are 5 main types of virus malware you should be aware of:

Polymorphic Malware  This type of malware regenerates itself with a new signature every time your antivirus software recognizes it as a threat.

Weaponized Documents  These documents use an embedded script that isn’t recognized by your software as your software only scans the initial document, not the executed script.

Browser Drive-By Downloads  These viruses are downloaded using an add-in on your browser.  These generally begin with an email attachment or pop-up.

Fileless Attacks  These attacks use built-in resources to attack your computer and therefore are typically undetected.  Remote desktops may be more susceptible to these types of malware.

Obfuscated Malware  This virus is extremely intelligent in that it uses seemingly safe environments to hide malicious intent, such as hiding the dangerous code within benign code to evade antivirus detection.

To protect your computer and your files, you need to implement a diverse and robust approach to your antivirus software.  If you’re concerned your systems may be at risk, give our IT Managed Services Department a call at 800-538-0669.  We can help you detect and contain any threats, as well as monitor your systems for any potential future compromises.