How can you prevent virus and malicious code? 

How can you prevent virus and malicious code? 

When an organization is targeted by a cyber-attack, it causes significant damage, from a massive disruption in its operation, and loss of sensitive data to a devastating impact on reputation. To proactively prepare defenses against cyber threats, it becomes vital to understand cyber threats from the point of view of attackers. 

Cyber threats make their way to their targets, either through human adversaries or malware/malicious codes written by adversaries to serve their objectives.  

Let us understand what malicious codes, viruses and malware are and some effective ways to prevent them. 

What is a malware, a virus and a malicious code? 

A malware is a malicious software designed to help a hacker gain access to a network, gain control of its systems, steal sensitive information, etc. Some common types of malware include ransomware, viruses, worms, trojans, and spyware.   

A virus is self-replicating malware that infects a system, causing it to crash. Some viruses might also infect systems in a network or serve as delivery agents for other malware like ransomware.  

A malicious code is hacker-engineered code authored to remotely establish control of a system/systems, steal or destroy data, etc., depending on the hacker’s motive.  

It could be anything, from a full-length code or script cleverly hidden in software that exploits its security vulnerabilities.  

But how does one know that their systems are infected by malicious code or malware?  

Here are some common signs that might indicate that there is a malicious code   

• Poor system performance 
• Memory draining/disappearance of available storage 
• Presence of programs and applications that you haven’t installed 
• Changes in the system configuration that you haven’t made 
• System boot takes longer time than usual 

Some interesting facts about malware  

There were over 6 billion malware attacks in 2023 (Statista) 

• Email is the most common vector for malware attacks with 88% of malware attacks happening through email (Statista)  
• The global cost of cybercrime is expected to reach over 10 trillion in 2025 (Statista) 
• 1/3^rd of all data breaches globally were due to ransomware (Verizon DBIR 2024) 

Effective ways to prevent malicious codes, malware, and viruses 

It is always better to seek the assistance of cybersecurity experts who can provide a comprehensive mitigation against cyber threats. They can help detect whether there are any malicious software/codes present or currently active in the network, take action to treat/remove the malicious software or codes, and prevent them from further infecting systems.  

Here are some common ways to effectively prevent malicious codes 

Use Endpoint Protection – Deploy Antivirus and EDR.  

Endpoint protection solutions and antivirus ensure security across endpoints. These solutions are loaded with superior malware detection capabilities, flagging and addressing suspicious activities and threats across endpoints.  

Configure firewalls and monitor network traffic 

There is an increase in attacks based on the exploitation of security vulnerabilities created due to misconfigurations.   

Therefore, it becomes essential to configure firewalls and regularly monitor network traffic for suspicious activities with best practices in network security.  

Leverage IPDS for quick detection and prevention of malicious code 

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems are security solutions that detect, identify, and address threats like malware and malicious codes across a network. IDPS can be used to pre-emptively act on threats before they become too dangerous to handle.  

Regularly take a backup of all your sensitive data  

Cybercriminals often target information assets looking to lock them out, sell, publish, or destroy them depending on their motive. Therefore, to avoid the unwanted consequence of data loss. It is essential to regularly take backups. You can also follow a 3-2-1 rule for backup.  

Whitelist only trusted applications  

Allow only trusted applications to be used and installed on systems. It decreases the possibility of the presence of malicious applications/software in the organization’s application environment.  

Follow a zero-trust approach to security

A zero-trust approach to security needs organizations to always verify every request of access without any default trust. It goes by the philosophy of never trust and always verify.   

Use Web Filtering tools to block access to malicious websites 

  Web filtering tools to blacklist/block access to malicious websites and content on the web, like phishing sites or fake sites used by cybercriminals to steal data or deliver malicious payloads.  

Keep all software up to date 

Among all the common methods used by cybercriminals to carry out cyber-attacks, 90% were exploitation of vulnerabilities (DBIR 2024). It is critical to keep software and applications updated and check for updates regularly since a majority of updates comprise security fixes.  

Bridge awareness gaps on some common types of cyber threats, especially social engineering threats like phishing 

Human error remains one of the most exploited factors by cybercriminals. 68% of data breaches last year were due to human error (DBIR 2024). Identify and bridge awareness gaps on some of the common cyber threats like malware and social engineering threats like phishing.