Users Look for Better Protection Against Today’s Cyber Threats
PC Matic recently conducted a survey, including 500 participants, regarding the impact of recent ransomware and crypto-jacking attacks. According to the results, approximately 45% of participants have either already switched antivirus providers, or are considering it, due to these growing cyber threats.
Of those who participated, less than 18% reported being hit with ransomware. Therefore confirming, the boost in news coverage is generating increased cyber awareness and the fear of becoming the next potential victim. Users are looking for preventative options to avoid falling victim before these attacks hit, instead of looking for remediation efforts.
MSPs and VARs
It is important MSPs and VARs use this opportunity to educate customers instead of continuing to steer them towards outdated technology with poor protection. These outdated technologies, often called legacy antivirus programs, offer up archaic blacklist solutions which only block known malicious threats. This method is no longer effective, as malware threats are morphing every single day. It is impossible for legacy systems to keep up, making it impossible for their user’s data and devices to remain protected. HelpNetSecurity stated,
“More than half (53 percent) of U.S. organizations that were infected with ransomware blamed legacy antivirus protection for failing to prevent the attack…”
Application Whitelisting Offers an Alternative and Effective Solution
It is clear, users want a preventative solution. But, what is the most effective preventative security solution to thwart cyber attacks such as ransomware and crypto-jacking? Various third-parties point to whitelisting as a viable defense, including the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT), New Zealand’s CERT department, the Department of Homeland Security, FBI and NSA.
PC Matic Pro offers an automated, global whitelist solution that is simple to deploy in an easy-to-manage platform. PC Matic’s whitelist is effective, proving in independent third-party testing it blocks all forms of malware, including ransomware.
In AV-Test’s most recent results, PC Matic was determined to be the highest performing security software. In AV-Comparatives testing, PC Matic blocked 100% of all ransomware, polymorphic ransomware, and other malware during the testing procedure. Lastly, PC Matic scored an astounding 99.9% detection in both proactive and reactive testing by Virus Bulletin.
Top 5 Takeaways
This may have been a lot of information to take in. However, there are five key things to one must remember:
- Users are looking for a proactive solution to keep their information secure from modern cyber threats.
- VARs/MSPs must to keep users educated on today’s cyber threats, and offer effective solutions to keep user information and devices secure.
- Application whitelisting is the most effective method of preventative protection.
- Whitelisting has been encouraged by various U.S. government agencies including the US-CERT, FBI, NSA, and Department of Homeland Security.
- PC Matic Pro has been tested and proven effective in thwarting today’s cyber security threats, including ransomware.
