The Connection, Inc Blog

It’s one of the most commonly-known computer issues: infection. There are plenty of threats out there that could potentially take hold of your PC. The question is, do you know how to proceed if one does? This blog will go into just that.

But first, some terms may need to be clarified: virus and malware. In reality, a virus is just one of the many forms of malware, which also covers spyware, Trojans, adware, and many other varieties of computer threats. However, the term “antivirus” is so well-known due to some awareness-based marketing, software systems that protect against other forms of malware are still given this title.

Now that the terminology of virus/malware has been covered, it is important to know how to remove these threats from your system.

First, at bare minimum, you should call in an MSP, like The Connection, Inc, to oversee the process. Observation by a professional will help you to avoid making a mistake that only makes the situation worse. Better yet, you should entrust The Connection, Inc to handle the monitoring and maintenance of your systems, so they will take care of issues such as these. In fact, these issues can often be avoided in the first place.

The Connection, Inc will remotely access your PC and take the steps necessary to remove the malware. Removing temporary files will help the scan progress faster, and might even remove some hidden malware in the process. Once your systems have been scanned and the infected files have been cleaned out, your web browser and your operating system may need to be repaired or reinstalled. This is one reason that it is so important to keep a backup, so any local files won’t be lost with the OS reinstall.

Once your system is cleaned out and restored, The Connection, Inc will make sure that programs designed to protect against malware are installed. All of your programs should be kept up-to-date, in order to make sure they are as protected as possible against attack from viruses or other malwares. We can even provide enterprise-level antivirus that we will monitor for updates and maintain to ensure your business has optimal security.

It is also a good idea to change the passwords to any of your online accounts, as the malware may have recorded them. Once the infection has been removed, make sure your staff knows how to identify the risk factors that indicate when they may be infected.

Let us know how we can help protect your business against malware by calling (732) 291-5938.

If you run a small business, you might consider yourself a small target of hacking attacks. It might make sense to think of it in this way, but this actually is not advisable to think of it in this way. According to a recent survey by CNBC and SurveyMonkey, only two percent of small businesses see cyber attacks as anything worth worrying about. This leads us to the next question… are you one of them?

When considering solutions to help ensure your business’ IT security, mobile devices often go overlooked. This makes sense--for most of the time the telephone has existed, it has been attached to a wall, only capable of transmitting sound. However, with phones now being palm-sized computers that we carry in our pockets, keeping them safe from cyberthreats has a new importance.

A lot is made about antivirus as a part of a comprehensive network security platform, but how does the system really work to eliminate threats? Today, we will take a look at an antivirus solution to show you how it goes about removing unwanted files and other code.

What is an Antivirus?
Antivirus software was developed as a tool to scan for malware or software with malicious patterns and remove it from your system. Since there are several companies that create antivirus programs, some are more effective than others at identifying and removing certain nefarious programs. One universal truth, however, is that with the seemingly endless wave of malware and other unwanted code being shared from the Internet, having a system in place that will help you identify and eliminate malware is crucial for the sustainability of any computing network.

What Exactly Does Antivirus Do?
As was mentioned above, there are a lot of different types of malware, so antiviruses are created to mitigate the problems computing systems have rendering this malicious code. They do the following things:

• Allow the user to schedule scans
• Allow the user to initiate scans of a file or part of a computer or network.
• Scan, identify, and remove any malicious code.
• Show the health of the computer construct as it pertains to malware and efficiency.

How Does Antivirus Work?
The antivirus program will download threat definitions and scan your files to search for matching code. Today there are options that store all permutations of available malware in the cloud, improving the effectiveness (since it has a comprehensive list) as compared to locally-hosted antivirus.

All executable files that enter the system enters the scan, if they meet the definitions the program has as being a virus, they are blacklisted, blocked, and quarantined. Of course, the user can override the antivirus at any time, but if it blocks a program, there’s a good chance that you're dealing with malware.

Should I Pay for Antivirus?
Antivirus is typically available both for free and as a paid service. While titles don’t seem to have a high level of disparity, the paid services are usually better at identifying newer threats. Since any threat could be the one that makes your life a living hell, paying a couple of bucks a year to protect your data and infrastructure is suggested.

If you are looking for some information about antivirus, or any other network security strategies, don’t hesitate to contact the IT professionals at The Connection, Inc. Our expert technicians can help you put your business in the best position to protect itself from all of the many threats found on the Internet. Call us today at (732) 291-5938.