Have you ever been browsing the web, harmlessly minding your own business, and then BAM! the antivirus software pops up “VIRUS DETECTED”? Or one afternoon you login to Facebook, and your friends are messaging you asking about the free iPad’s you are giving away? It is clear to say Virus attempts have evolved over the years, as well as new names to help identify all of them. There are Viruses that can program an attack on your PC or Operating System (OS), causing damage or taking control of your PC. There are Bots, Spyware, Malware, Phishing…but what do all of these mean? There are Bots which create Botnets, a collection of internet connected programs that communicate with other similar programs to execute tasks, such as a Spambot. A Spambot harvests email addresses from contact or guestbook pages, sends spam emails, attempting to infect all of those around you. Along with Bots, Spyware, or downloader programs that suck bandwidth by downloading entire web sites, are able to basically take over the PC and turn the machines into Zombie Computers.
Besides Bots and Spyware, there are constant Phishing attempts that send you Banking, ITunes or PayPal emails containing a link, and claiming that your account is locked out and you need to log in to verify the account. Of course the link in the email is NOT legitimate, and you can tell it is fake by simply hovering your mouse on the link but not clicking on it. What about the invention of Ransonware? This virus attacks your PC, encrypting data, and only lets you retrieve that data for a fee. You won’t believe how much money that has generated for the hackers! You would think the government would be able to shut this activity down, but only recently have they found and shut down “one” of the servers linked to the CryptoLocker attacks.
So how do you protect yourself in this ever changing virus frenzied world?
Multiple layers of protection are the best protection.
What are multiple layers of protection?
Layer 1: Desktop Antivirus – Installed, Licensed, Updated, Real-time Scanning turned on, and regular scans for Virus and Spyware.
Layer 2: Firewall or Gateway Antivirus – A good Firewall (like a Sonicwall), will scan all packets for known signatures at the firewall level.
Most people stop there because it is the normal protection suite from most security vendors, but it doesn’t seem to help on certain kind of attacks like Spyware, Phishing and Malicious Website links. Short of turning off the internet, what can be done to protect our users from the new Zero Day Viruses (viruses so new the signatures are not known yet) or Ransonware that hides in an innocent website?
Layer 3: Cloud Based Antivirus, Antiphishing, AntiSpyware – Controlling what content can be delivered to the protected client PC or server.
We call this product MDICloudCare. It is a little agent that sits on each PC that steers you around all the pitfalls on the web. It won’t let you wander off onto websites that attack you with viruses, kidnap you with malware, ransomware, or threaten you with phishing sites and other internet based threats. Feel free to just take a stroll on the internet at ease now and let MDICloudCare navigate you and your staff away from the dangers lurking in the dark. Because the protection is Cloud based, it is constantly being updated and catches even Zero Day Viruses, such as the FBI Virus and Cryptolocker. In a study done in Minneapolis this year, not a single subscriber to MDICloudCare got any viruses, not even the debilitating Cryptolocker.
MDICloudCare is starting to be rolled out here in Ohio and Western Pennsylvania to our MD-Care Premium customers first. It is now INCLUDED for free on our “All You Can Eat” maintenance plan. But you aren’t left out if you are not on our MD-Care service plan you can just order MDICloudcare for your business at just $2.00 per PC per Month. ( $20.00 per month minimum )
Tired of lost productivity, slow unresponsive PCs and high IT virus removal bills? You can eliminate those with this subscription. To find out more contact us at 330-898-2100 or email info@microdoctor.com. Read about it on our website or https://www.microdoctor.com/services/cloud/
Article written by Mark Richmond, CEO of Micro Doctor Inc.
7/25/2014
