The Importance of Cybersecurity: 5 Tips to Prevent Malware Attacks
Hikvision places the utmost importance on cybersecurity to keep you and your organization safe from attacks. In this blog, we discuss malware attacks and how to best protect yourself from them. Below, Chuck Davis, Hikvision’s Vice President of Global Information Security, provides us with 5 tips to reduce vulnerabilities and prevent malware attacks.
An article by Dark Reading explains the current challenges organizations face protecting their systems from malware. Security professionals encounter common viruses and phishing attacks regularly. Additionally, organizations reported more ransomware attacks than other malware attacks.
Below, Davis provides five tips to prevent malware attacks:
- Use firewalls and firebreaks (network segmentation): Place devices behind firewalls to protect them from untrusted networks, such as the Internet. And use network segmentation—splitting a network into separate networks that are isolated, not connected—so a compromise in one part of the network won’t compromise the other (i.e. human resources and finance).
- Protect your computer from vulnerabilities: Clean up your computer by removing old software programs no longer in use, and make sure to install patches regularly. Updating firmware safeguards equipment by patching known vulnerabilities. They can even add features and sometimes will improve system performance. Hikvision provides firmware update information on its website, linked here.
- Reset default passwords and make them complex: Users should be required to change any default password to one with at least eight characters, and at least one of each of the following: numbers, special characters, and uppercase and lowercase letters. Ideally, a password should be at least 12 characters and not used anywhere else. To manage all your complex, unique passwords, use a password manager. They not only store all your passwords but will help you create great passwords that you never have to remember.
- Manage your router: It’s recommended that everyone reboot all home routers and small office routers. In a previous blog on the subject, Davis stated that “rebooting will disable the active malware called “VPNFilter" which has infected hundreds of thousands of routers across the Internet, and it will help the FBI assess the extent of the infection.” Click here for more tips on how to set up your router.
- Run active scans and updates: When a computer notifies you of an available update, run it immediately. In addition, you can actively run malware and vulnerability scans for network devices. If you do get infected with malware, backup your data and re-install the operating system.
To learn more about cybersecurity concerns and preventing malware attacks, visit our cybersecurity webpage.