Red Mosquito - Blog

 We are continuing our series of articles on the 5 keys controls required for Cyber Essentials Certification.  Today we are focusing on the standards requirements for Malware Protection. 

For an introduction to Cyber Essentials, please see here. 

For other articles blogs in our Cyber Essentials controls series please see:

• Patch Management
• Firewalls 
• Secure Configuration
• Access Control

 What is malware protection? 

The Cyber Essentials scheme requires malware protection to be in place for desktop computers; laptop computers; tablets; mobile phones.  

Malware, short for malicious software, is an umbrella term for a plethora of threats including viruses, trojans, spyware, worms, adware and the growing threat of ransomware.   Often malware gains entry to systems through human error:  a staff member clicks on an infected attachment, email or website. Malware protection works to defend your system from both known malware and suspicious software by stopping malicious code from damaging or accessing your network.   There are several elements required to establish robust malware defences, including: 

• Anti-malware software – which will detect and disable malware  
• Whitelisting – will allow only trusted software to run on your systems 
• Sandboxing –  enables untrusted software to be tested in a restricted environment  

 Cyber Essentials requires you implement one of the above approaches. 

Malware protection as Managed Service 

Establishing an effective malware protection strategy can be challenging due to: 

• The variety of products on the market – all making claims of success 
• Interchangeable use of terms such as anti virus, anti malware, anti spyware etc 
• Uncertainty about the impact of software on system resources – the wrong products will slow your system 
• Concern about software installation, configuration and management 

Our security specialists working across Edinburgh and Glasgow have the technical expertise and advanced industry knowledge required to identify the most effective and affordable products to manage your cyber-security.  We can install and configure the software to ensure optimum performance and make certain that updates and scans are completely automatically and managed centrally.  

 Our managed antivirus helps to keep both known and emerging malware off workstations and servers. Managed antivirus not only stays up-to-date with the latest threats using traditional signature-based protection, but also allows Red Mosquito to monitor your environment in real-time for any outbreak.   

 It is worth noting that while anti malware is essential it should be one element of a robust security system. 

No one tool can catch everything, which is why a multi-layered approach to cyber-security is essential.  It is always better to have more than one system in place to protect your company as each one will reduce the risk posed by a potential threat.   

As ACE Practitioners of Cyber Essentials, we can make sure your business meets the requirements of all 5 controls and guide you through the certification process.

Contact us today for more information on Malware Protection and Cyber Essentials.   

We provide IT Support across Glasgow, IT Support Edinburgh and central Scotland.