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When a Computer Virus Infects a Remote Network

What happens when, no matter how careful you are, a large-scale virus hits your network? Computer security is one of the most important things you can focus on in any business, but even the best security can get compromised. Just as important as knowing how to prevent computer viruses is knowing what you can do when your network becomes infected. With remote networking, where many different devices can be affected, this becomes even more important.



Unique Challenges Facing Remote Networks



The difference in handling a virus between a normal business network and a remote network is the fact that there are many other devices and connections to think about. If you allow employees to network using their own devices, some of them might not be under your control at all. This means that even if you manage to purge the virus fr om your network, you still have to account for the possibility that it might be lurking on a remote machine, ready to re-infect your business. If your business is small enough, you can work around this problem by asking all users to bring their devices in to make sure they are clean. If that isn’t possible, you’ll need to consider other workarounds to make sure you’re safe.

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May 14, 2014 antivirus , security

How Does Heartbleed Affect your Business Network?

The Heartbleed virus has struck websites across the world and put people's online security at risk. While the phenomenon has created a mass panic, there are still a lot of people who don't know what Heartbleed is or how it might affect them. Here's a quick description of what the virus does, how it might affect your network, and what you can do to make sure your business network remains as safe as possible with a minimum of risk moving forward.



What is Heartbleed?



The Heartbleed virus is an exploit that can affect any website or program using OpenSSL cryptography. The program targets the Transport Layer Security, or TLS, protocol. The virus gets its name fr om the fact that it targets the heartbeat extension. The heartbeat extension is a periodic signal sent to the server sent every few seconds to indicate that the user or connected computer is still there. If the heartbeat isn't received, the machine assumes that the connection has failed. By piggybacking onto this protocol, Heartbleed manages to slip in undetected and then transmits personal data, particularly passwords, to the user who sent the virus. This represents a major security breach for many networks.

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Apr 23, 2014 antivirus , security

Know Thy Enemy: Common Computer Viruses and how to Avoid Them

Nothing can cripple a network as thoroughly as a computer virus can. Having good firewall and virus protection software can help prevent your network from picking up these viruses, but it also helps to know more about the dangers out there. If you can recognize the behavior of specific types of viruses, that can help you avoid more dangers and find a cure faster in the unfortunate case that you wind up with this type of malware on your computer.



Identifying Trojan Viruses



Perhaps the most common type of virus on the Internet is the Trojan virus. Like the legendary Trojan horse, this virus pretends to be something useful and desirable but is actually designed to either disrupt network processes or harvest information. Trojans can do any number of different things, including tracking keystrokes to gain access to passwords and personal information. These viruses used to be linked to illicit activities like illegal file sharing and pornography sites, but times have changed and they can now be found on reputable websites from time to time. Unfortunately, the only sure way to defeat a Trojan is to make sure it doesn’t infect your computer in the first place.

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Oct 30, 2013 antivirus , security

Common Types of Malware and how to Avoid Them

Malware is a catch all phrase that includes any sort of program designed to do harm to a computer or that disrupts its normal processes. This includes viruses, spyware, adware, and much more. Malware is one of the biggest enemies of any computer that has access to the Internet, be it a company computer or a personal one. The most common types of malware that you might acquire and they way in which they affect a computer are outlined in detail below.



Remote Administration Tools



Remote Administration Tools are also known as RATs. If you have a RAT infestation, it means that somebody has planted malware on your computer that will give a remote user administrator rights to your files. This can include gaining access to your personal software as well as some hardware like your computer's microphone or webcam. Essentially, anything you can do with your computer, somebody using a RAT can as well. This malware is usually spread by getting users to click on a link that they think is safe, especially via social media channels or file sharing networks. You should make sure to avoid any unknown files or links, as a single mistake can lead to a RAT infestation that can destroy your privacy.

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Jul 10, 2013 antivirus

Remote Access Software and Erroneous Virus Detection Problem

The problem of mistakenly identifying a particular program as a virus is as old as the Internet, especially for developers of remote access software. For example, we often receive complaints from users that an antivirus program has blocked Remote Utilities.

The antivirus program's extensive authority over the user's computer lies at the root of the problem. Moreover, the user usually trusts the antivirus program completely. A user doesn't continue installing or launching a program marked as "suspicious". On one hand, the user is indeed protected against launching malicious programs. On the other hand the antivirus program degrades the user's experience when it prevents him from accessing a remote computer or places executable files into quarantine -- or even deletes them.
 

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Aug 25, 2012 antivirus , software

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