Did you know using outdated software is a security risk? That's right. Failing to update your software could result in a security breach to your business – and hurt your bottom line.
1%
of the TOP10 malware detected could have been avoided with Software Updater in the first place
Making sense of threats for SMBs
The world of data security is complex and moving fast. Most companies have too much to do and too much variety on their plates to maintain a specialist’s knowledge of security. But with malware like Stuxnet and Flame in the news almost every day, we’ve received questions from several different kinds of organizations about how their businesses and data are at risk.
Cyberwar, hacktivism, DDoS attacks. They are all over the news, but they only affect multinationals and governments - right? F-Secure’s Esa Tornikoski makes sense of the threat landscape for businesses.
"Organizations want to know how their businesses and data are at risk"
Esa Tornikoski, Product Manager
Dmitry Viktorov, Lead Architect
There’s no single “kind” of threat, but an entire landscape
One of the most abstract things for businesses is to understand which cases make for great media stories and which represent a real danger to SMBs. How do you know what attacks are most likely to affect your business?
What in fact affects SMBs most is not any single “kind” of threat, but the changing, ever-present threat of cybercrime. This is something that can’t be pinned down to individual elements like “viruses” or “spam”, and it certainly isn’t documented thoroughly in the media. The business of cybercrime is as rich and complex as any other – and each individual “threat” is created by a different party, bought and sold and intertwined with many other elements. The result is a complex engine with many different forms – but one clear purpose, to steal data and money.
“The purpose is clear; to steal your data and money”
Vulnerability exploits: Even trustworthy sources can wreak havoc
Perhaps the preferred way for attackers to gain access to a computer is through vulnerability exploitation. This is simply the art of finding a security hole in any software and using that as a way to infect the machine. The most common culprit? Old, unpatched software. “Your software is like the front door to your PC”, says Tornikoski
“Out-of-date software is a wide-open door for all kinds of attacks, especially from harmless places.” Examples like banner ads – which run on sites such as newspapers that most people inherently trust – are specifically designed to take advantage of plugins like Java and Flash. They seek out any possible way to infect the machine, and install malware that steals data, turns it into a bot, or just locks it up and holds it for ransom.
Standard malware protection is not enough. For proper security, businesses need to keep their software up-to-date. Better yet, they need a product that keeps their software current for them.
"Your software is like the front door to your PC"
It doesn't take much time at all to commoditize a vulnerability into an exploit; after 3 days anyone can easily create their own exploit.
Tapio Koskinen, Director, Product Management
The world’s most complete security, delivered as a service
F-Secure Protection Service for Business is the most comprehensive SMB security solution on the market, primarily sold as a service through thousands of F-Secure reseller partners around the world. It covers all aspects of security including virus and spyware protection, spam and email protection as well as firewall and server protection. The latest feature, Software Updater complements the overall solution and service portfolio that is offered for small and medium size businesses. It saves significant time for IT administrators and end users and protects SMBs against the security risks associated with using out-of-date software.
No other product offers such complete security with time-saving value.