AntiVirus Whitepapers and Ebooks

This sections provides whitepapers on Antivirus that details on trends, analysis and latest happenings in the industry.

  • Defending Against Spyware: Standard Virus Protection is not Enough
    The startling growth and deceptive methods of spyware can be easily attributed to profit motives. Spyware developers make money from the information that their software silently collects from unsuspecting users. Companies that create spyware can be small or large. They do not require extensive resources to begin making money from the information they gather or steal. As long as there is a way to make money from it, spyware will continue to proliferate. Although there are numerous freeware programs and online scanning services that attempt to address the spyware threat, neither method alone offers sufficient protection � Some free anti-spyware applications identify Microsoft operating system processes as spyware. Removing the identified process could damage the operating system � Even freeware from a reputable vendor can have problems. The free MicrosoftTM WindowsTM Defender spyware removal tool misidentified Symantec'sTM Norton Antivirus as a harmful program 4 � Free anti-spyware applications can actually be spyware in disguise. These applications can cause new problems rather than solving them � Using freeware in a business may violate end-user licensing agreements (EULAs) � Support from freeware vendors is often inconsistent at best. A look at sample license agreements highlights the low level of support provided the sidebar for examples) An antivirus vendor can make the lives of IT administrators easier by providing better interoperability and potential integration of security solutions.
  • The Business Impact of Spyware
    Profit is a powerful motivator -- and the incentive that has propelled spyware into its dramatic growth pattern and deceptive methods. Spyware vendors make money from company or user data -- email messages, passwords, sensitive customer data -- that spyware software silently collects from unsuspecting users. Using questionable or devious methods, spyware installs itself onto your computer. It can be "relatively harmless" by forcing pop-up ads or it can perform more sinister actions such as monitoring and sending sensitive information over the Internet to other computers. Regardless of the action, spyware programs hide their true purpose from the user while reducing system performance, draining user productivity, and stealing confidential data for profit. Spyware continues to proliferate because it generates revenue and profits. It also does not require a large financial investment or significant resources to make money from the information that it steals or gathers from users. As long as developers can use it to make money, spyware will persist and grow. This guide describes the significant threat that spyware presents to businesses -- particularly smalland medium-sized businesses (SMBs). It discusses why SMBs are vulnerable and the impact that spyware can have on business continuity, employee productivity, and most the bottom line.
  • Defending Against Spyware: Standard Virus Protection is not Enough
    The startling growth and deceptive methods of spyware can be easily attributed to profit motives. Spyware developers make money from the information that their software silently collects from unsuspecting users. Companies that create spyware can be small or large. They do not require extensive resources to begin making money from the information they gather or steal. As long as there is a way to make money from it, spyware will continue to proliferate. Although there are numerous freeware programs and online scanning services that attempt to address the spyware threat, neither method alone offers sufficient protection � Some free anti-spyware applications identify Microsoft operating system processes as spyware. Removing the identified process could damage the operating system � Even freeware from a reputable vendor can have problems. The free MicrosoftTM WindowsTM Defender spyware removal tool misidentified Symantec'sTM Norton Antivirus as a harmful program 4 � Free anti-spyware applications can actually be spyware in disguise. These applications can cause new problems rather than solving them � Using freeware in a business may violate end-user licensing agreements (EULAs) � Support from freeware vendors is often inconsistent at best. A look at sample license agreements highlights the low level of support provided the sidebar for examples) An antivirus vendor can make the lives of IT administrators easier by providing better interoperability and potential integration of security solutions.
  • Unruly USB: Devices Expose Networks to Malware
    The news today is chock full of stories about sensitive information being carried out the institutional perimeter on `simple' USB devices. These powerful portable drives rightfully worry IT as a means for devastating data loss at the hands of malicious insiders. But it's pretty easy for organizations to get so wrapped up about what goes out on USB drives that they forget to protect against what comes in their environments via USB. And with attacks inflicting increasingly greater damage following uncontrolled connection, it's time that organizations got serious about this threat. After all, according to researchers, as many as one in four malware attacks1 is carried out through a USB device. In the past year, we've seen Stuxnet raise its ugly head and Conficker continue to circulate through the USB vector. Recently the US Army admitted that an infected USB stick was responsible for causing one of the biggest cybersecurity breaches in military history. And yet the proliferation of USB devices only continues to skyrocket by billions each year. In order to keep organizations secure from threats, IT departments must bring greater scrutiny and control over how the network is exposed to potentially infected portable payloads. But let's get they can't do so by gluing USB ports shut.
  • Unruly USB: Devices Expose Networks to Malware
    The news today is chock full of stories about sensitive information being carried out the institutional perimeter on `simple' USB devices. These powerful portable drives rightfully worry IT as a means for devastating data loss at the hands of malicious insiders. But it's pretty easy for organizations to get so wrapped up about what goes out on USB drives that they forget to protect against what comes in their environments via USB. And with attacks inflicting increasingly greater damage following uncontrolled connection, it's time that organizations got serious about this threat. After all, according to researchers, as many as one in four malware attacks1 is carried out through a USB device. In the past year, we've seen Stuxnet raise its ugly head and Conficker continue to circulate through the USB vector. Recently the US Army admitted that an infected USB stick was responsible for causing one of the biggest cybersecurity breaches in military history. And yet the proliferation of USB devices only continues to skyrocket by billions each year. In order to keep organizations secure from threats, IT departments must bring greater scrutiny and control over how the network is exposed to potentially infected portable payloads. But let's get they can't do so by gluing USB ports shut.
  • Unruly USB: Devices Expose Networks to Malware
    The news today is chock full of stories about sensitive information being carried out the institutional perimeter on `simple' USB devices. These powerful portable drives rightfully worry IT as a means for devastating data loss at the hands of malicious insiders. But it's pretty easy for organizations to get so wrapped up about what goes out on USB drives that they forget to protect against what comes in their environments via USB. And with attacks inflicting increasingly greater damage following uncontrolled connection, it's time that organizations got serious about this threat. After all, according to researchers, as many as one in four malware attacks1 is carried out through a USB device. In the past year, we've seen Stuxnet raise its ugly head and Conficker continue to circulate through the USB vector. Recently the US Army admitted that an infected USB stick was responsible for causing one of the biggest cybersecurity breaches in military history. And yet the proliferation of USB devices only continues to skyrocket by billions each year. In order to keep organizations secure from threats, IT departments must bring greater scrutiny and control over how the network is exposed to potentially infected portable payloads. But let's get they can't do so by gluing USB ports shut.
  • Top 10: To trust or not
    Your guard is down when you trust well known brands, alerts, notices and friends, and the cyber crime world leverages this opportunity now more than ever. The days of training employees on what is safe to click and what is not have passed into the sunset. Now employees cannot be certain who to trust as popular web sites are utilized as unwitting hosts to an array of drive-by downloads that automatically install and contain web threats or malware. Further weakening confidence are lures from friends and alerts that appear to offer protection while downloading information-stealing software or co-opting the computer as a cyber crime resource. To eliminate the gray area of what your employees should and should not trust, know your web defense. Below is a Top 10 list of risks that your employees may assume they can trust but your web defense should not. 1 Popular Web Sites have a large audience and often weak protections against iFrame & SQL injection attacks, making them key targets. In a matter of hours, malware can infect many users before being detected and removed from the site. Simple in design, the injections are scripts or pointers to a cybercrime grid of servers and malware download hosts that deliver their payload without the user clicking on anything.
  • Comprehensive Web Security Overview
    Web traffic is increasingly becoming a popular vector for attacking networks as most organizations have addressed other well-known vulnerabilities by deploying email AV gateways and desktop AV clients. Now, attacks, such as drive-by installers of spyware and viruses tunneling over SSL, often go undetected by today's perimeter security, which is often merely a firewall with Web content filtering. Networks without comprehensive security at Internet access points, which analyst firm Gartner estimates is approximately 85% to 90% of corporate networks, organizations are unwittingly exposing themselves to serious, Web-based attacks.
  • The Costs and Impacts of DNS and IP Address Management (IPAM) for the Enterprise and SMB
    In August 2008, Computerworld invited IT and business leaders to participate in a core network services survey, that included specific questions about their DNS infrastructures and the costs of IP address management. The survey was fielded via targeted broadcasts to Computerworld customers, as well as through an invitation on Computerworld.com. The survey was commissioned by Infoblox, but the data was gathered and tabulated independently by Computerworld Research. The following report represents top-line results of that survey. In August 2008, Computerworld invited IT and business leaders to participate in a core network services survey, that included specific questions about their DNS infrastructures and the costs of IP address management. The survey was fielded via targeted broadcasts to Computerworld customers, as well as through an invitation on Computerworld.com. The survey was commissioned by Infoblox, but the data was gathered and tabulated independently by Computerworld Research. The following report represents top-line results of that survey. Undoubtedly, enterprise organizations have more challenges in managing their core network services given their size. Along with more internal/external DNS servers and a larger number of IP devices, enterprise organizations also have higher costs associated with managing IP addresses. Additionally, nearly two-thirds of enterprise organizations are currently basic software tools like spreadsheets to manage IP addresses, despite the increasing demands and costs associated with the management of core network services.
  • Threat Defense for Borderless Networks
    Traditional security techniques are unable to respond to threats that can arise from anywhere. To protect today's borderless networks, IT managers must adapt by implementing faster, smarter security measures that monitor the constantly changing global landscape. This white paper, written for IT managers and executives, examines the security risks and needs of borderless networks, details a systematic plan of action, and describes how Cisco can help implement threat defenses that will serve you today and for years to come. The threat landscape has changed. IT and security operations teams must combat an array of threats to the network infrastructure and simultaneously assure network access for all who need it. Many current and emerging threats take advantage of existing vulnerabilities, even though organizations can become distracted by emerging threats. It is important to focus time, energy, and resources on what is strategically, financially, and competitively most important to safeguard your organization and that means taking a close look at your entire security system. Cisco provides robust, high-performance market-leading solutions to help organizations secure and manage their borderless networks, and backs them up with proactive intelligence from Cisco Security Intelligence Operations. To learn more about Cisco Threat Defense solutions, visit http://www.cisco.com/go/threatdefense contact your local reseller.