Tips you can implement to help prevent malware from infecting your organisation
Malicious software (also known as ‘Malware’) is software or web-based content that can damage your organisation. The most common form of malware is viruses, which are self-replicating programs that can infect legitimate software.
Tip 1: Install and switch on antivirus
Many popular operating systems include antivirus for free. However, if you want to select your own there are multiple providers for you to choose from. Configuring antivirus on mobile devices such as phones and tablets may require a different approve. We recommend reading NCSC’s Device Security Guidance when researching antivirus for mobile devices.
Tip 2: Prevent staff downloading dodgy apps
You should only download apps for your mobile devices from manufacturer approved store, like Apple App Store and Google Play Store. The reason for this is that apps from these platforms are checked to provide a certain level of protection from malware. You should prevent your staff from downloading apps from third party sources as these will not be checked like those from the manufacturer approved stores.
Tip 3: Keep your devices up to date
Make sure that all your software and hardware is kept up to date. Apply these updates (a process known as patching) is an important step in improving your security. You can enable auto updates to ensure that you do not miss any.
However, your devices will at some point reach their end of life, which means that the updates will no longer be available and your device can become vulnerable to cyber threats. At this point you should consider upgrading your devices.
Tip 4: Control how external drives can be used
Using USB drives or memory cards to transfer file transfers between organisations and individuals is common. However, a single user plugging in an infected device, like a USB drive containing malware, can have massive consequences for the entire organisation.
Sharing drives and cards openly makes it difficult to monitor their contents, where they have been, and who has access to it. To reduce the risk of infections, consider implementing the following measures:
- Restricting physical port access for most users
- Employing antivirus software
- Permitting only approved drives and cards for internal use
Add these guidelines into your company's policies to prevent unnecessary risks. Encourage staff to opt for alternative file transfer methods like email or cloud storage instead of using USB devices.
Tip 5: Switch on your firewall
Firewalls act as barriers between secure, protected networks and external networks, like the internet.
If this sounds confusing, picture it like this: we have a building, and outside the building is a long line of people. The owner of the building has decided only people wearing red socks are allowed inside.
Everyone inside the building is already verified to be wearing red socks, but we don’t know if the people waiting to come inside are. To check, we can hire a security guard to wait at the door and examine each person’s socks before they come inside to verify they’re following the owners pre-determined rules.
This is the job of a firewall, except instead of checking peoples’ socks, a firewall checks data sent over from an untrusted network against rules the owner of the trusted network has set.
Nowadays, many common operating systems come equipped with a firewall, which can be easily activated. For further guidance on firewall usage, consult the Network Security section of the NCSC's 10 Steps to Cyber Security.