Antivirus Software Can Save Our Network

Viruses and other malicious software and the possibility of them getting on our company's network are a major threat that originates from outside our company. A home/end user may unknowingly introduce this threat into the network. The cost of portable media, including flash drives and portable hard drives, is so inexpensive and virtually everyone uses them. It is easy for viruses such as the Netsky (and variants of it) to open up a "backdoor." These viruses that are virtually invisible to the common user allow hackers to do detrimental things to computer systems through open ports. A port is the way in and out of a computer or a network device like a router or switch. Hackers or black hats can scan for open ports and plant malicious program codes like those that can steal passwords and confidential information, such as a user's PIN and credit card numbers when he does Internet banking on that PC. Or, the hacker can turn that PC into a spamming machine which makes the virus spread like wildfire. Another malicious virus: The Bagle.j virus which spoofs and spams. It can impersonate your e-mail address and mass spam, sending out unauthorized e-mail on your behalf. The dark side of this multi-havoc virus: It comes with a .zip file that is password-protected. The password sits in the body of the text. People are less suspecting of a .zip file than an .exe attachment. Once they open the e-mail, the virus is set free to cause havoc (Tan, 2004). Preventing and discovering this threat through easily accessible antivirus software can save our network

Besides providing users with antivirus software, there is more we can do in the form of education. Respondents to a 2004 Ernst & Young Global Information Security Survey cited lack of security awareness by end users as the top barrier to achieving the required level of security (Leung, 2004). Security experts say organizations should foster a pervasive security-aware corporate culture. We should decide on the risk level our company is willing to take and instill in the workforce the importance of being security-savvy and of using security technologies to protect against attacks. Training should be given to end users to help them recognize potential security breaches and that in a security culture, regularly changing passwords, not opening suspicious e-mail attachments and other basic precautions are second nature (Leung, 2004). A training program can be as easy as a computer based tutorial with a focus on how to prevent and what they should do once threats have been discovered.

Security of our network is not just the responsibility of the IT department. It takes the vigilance of everyone within the firm and out based on the threat mentioned above. Each of us at every level must make the appropriate steps; top management has to lead the charge with direction, IT professionals have to inform and keep informed themselves on preventing and detecting, end