A malware attack is a targeted attack that is created by a group of skilled and experienced hackers. The main goal of malware attacks is either extraction of intellectual property, theft, or even corporate espionage. Over the years these attacks have become more common and finding viable solutions to effectively achieve malware prevention is not an easy task. Threat actors often use innovative techniques that are hard to detect before any damage is done. Achieving advanced malware prevention by identifying and disabling such attacks is almost impossible without the help of A.I. and endpoint protection. If you don’t know the intentions of your attackers, it will be hard to predict where and how they can be stopped.

Let’s look into the best ways to stop a malware attack.

Keep an eye out for phishing emails

In order to gain network access, threat actors need to have a starting point. Phishing emails are a very common tool that is used to lure uninformed personnel into clicking on a malicious link or providing classified information unwittingly. These attacks can be vary with different situations, so it is very important that your employees are aware of such malicious attacks and are vigilant when opening emails.

Odd logins

If your company or organization has fixed working hours, be sure to check your network for odd log-ins after the usual working hours. If there is suspicious activity going on it is probably worth looking into. Keeping track of who and when is using your network can make a difference if you ever experience an APT attack.

Backdoor Trojans

APT actors almost always use trojans to keep a backdoor open at all times. These malicious files make sure that some ports are always open and free to be accessed. This means that you can’t really prevent them from entering your network even if log-in credentials change or get modified in any other way. For this reason, it becomes necessary to have a solution aimed to detect advanced persistent threats that will monitor your network 24/7 and prevent any suspicious activity as soon as it’s identified.

Information on the Move

When hackers enter your system network they are usually scouting for valuable information. This means that you should be seeing the malware moving around from server to server or from your network to an external computer. Tracking the path of this data can give you an idea about the intention these threat actors have. Keep your valuable data safe and make sure it isn’t moved by unauthorized personnel or software.

Data Compression and Exporting

During an organized APT attack, hackers usually compress valuable data locally before moving it to an external machine. This helps them avoid detection but also to move data as fast as possible. During this process, you may notice file extensions that are unfamiliar within your network. Check for odd file extensions and make sure that it wasn’t created by someone outside of your network. Once these big files are generated, they can be exported expressly with no “undo” option.

Malware prevention: Protect your company

Protecting your network or company from APT attacks can be an exhausting task. Even if you implement the very best security measures you can never know when some of your staff members may fall victim to phishing attacks. Staying informed is just as important as having reliable protection software installed on your systems. (Deep Instinct is reinventing prevention with Deep Learning software). Keep your staff members and employees informed at all times. Educate them about the specific threat profile of APT and malware attacks and make sure that they understand how to differ official emails from phishing scams. Keep confidential information safe and away from the eyes of those who don’t need to know that info. Combining education with security can be a game-changer in this day and age.