What is Malware Outbreak?
20.11.2019
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Malware is an imminent threat for organizations. In order to protect your systems from it, you need to be informed about it. In this article, we will take a closer look at malware and malware outbreaks.
Malware, also known as ‘malicious software,’ is a term that refers to any kind of code or software that aims to harm systems. The sole purpose of malware is to hinder the proper function of the system. As a result, its nature is hostile and intrusive. It constantly seeks vulnerable spots of your defence and tries to penetrate its way in. Once it manages to find its way into your systems, malware does everything in its power to do harm to the system. It can even lock you out in the meantime. Similar to viruses, malware’s sole purpose is to invade and render devices, systems, operations and networks inoperable. In order to achieve its purpose, malware can take full or partial control of the operations. Almost all types of malware target the data. It tries to steal and/or alter the valuable information in your systems. It can even try to encrypt the data so that you cannot access it.
Moreover, a malware can secretly spy on your activity in order to stealthily steal information from you or even blackmail you. Which brings us to our final point about malware: It can be very, very stealthy. That is why it might be too late once you find out that a malware has gained control over your systems. Thus, being able to detect and eliminate malware threats is one of the essential practices of cyber security. It is also helpful to learn about malware analysis
What is malware outbreak?
The definition of a malware outbreak is pretty straightforward: When a certain malware is found on more than one device and/or system, it is called a ‘malware outbreak.’ There are three different kinds of a malware outbreak:
Internal Outbreak:
When a certain malware is present in more than one computer in the same network, the situation is called an internal outbreak. In order to decide if an internal outbreak is happening, you need to set a threshold beforehand, such as “more than 5 incidents due to the same malware in the devices of the same network in two hours or less.”
Regional Outbreak:
When a certain malware is found in more than one network, but the distribution of those networks is limited to a specific geographic area, the incident is called a regional outbreak. For instance, a specific malware code can be spreading swiftly in a country without reaching other countries. In such incidents, a regional outbreak is declared by authorities. Yet depending on the speed and nature of the malware, the possibility of a global outbreak must be regarded in order to take necessary preventive actions.
Global Outbreak:
When a certain malware is found in numerous networks and/or devices across the globe, the incident is called a global malware outbreak. Such type of outbreaks is severely dangerous and can spread very quickly. That is why global malware outbreaks require immediate action in order to be contained and eliminated. An outbreak can be considered as a global outbreak if it has spread various geographies or has the potential to do so. There is no signs or likely seasons for an outbreak to happen.
That is why it is very important to take necessary preventive measures and have an emergency protocol. SOAR solutions also has a feature for Malware containment, it enables an organization to detect advanced malware threats and convert them into actionable points for effective redressal.
