It is that time of the year again where a puff of smoke and the screeching of tyres signal another dash for relaxation. While many companies close up shop and households plan routes, the question remains - who is going to look after your IT and network infrastructure? Vulnerability over the festive period is at its highest.
Fortunately users out there have a number of options available to ensure that their networks remain intact and out of harm`s way. Awareness and knowledge is the best form of defence.
If we break the scenario down, the fact is both companies and individuals come under attack during the festive period. It is a time when the risk of external threats - anything from viruses to network sabotage - becomes significantly higher. The first bit of advice for those who want to ensure protection is to be aware of a few identified viruses, especially those that are categorised as being `Trojan Horses`. These infectious impostors pose a real threat because the user is oblivious to the fact that his or her system has been infected and the virus is programmed to cause damage at a particular time.
The days of relying on anti-virus software alone are over. From a corporate perspective, the advancement of a myriad of new blended and more sophisticated threats has forced IT administrators to look into new technologies to help them protect their networks.
Over the past year we`ve seen more sophisticated mobile code threats being released into the wild than ever before. This has raised new challenges for IT administrators and it has become vital for administrators to explore new technologies such as layer seven firewalls, network intrusion detection and vulnerability assessment tools. The threats presented by viruses have almost moved into obscurity, compared to new blended threats. The term virus being relatively old, we`ve now been introduced to new terms such as worms and blended threats.
Although we are entering the slower season of the year and the holiday mood sets in, the threat still remains out there. Numerous automated threats are set to trigger in this time. With the investments made in security products over the year the bulk of these treats will pass will little effort, but in the event of an incident it is reassuring to know that experts remain on call in these times to assist.
AVeS wishes everybody a joyful festive season.
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