Is free antivirus enough? Many small businesses think so, and that’s often all they have in terms of security for their online environment. Free antivirus protection feels safe, until it doesn’t. In general, if it’s free, then you are the product. So, in this blog, we’ll go over the free antivirus risks with a real-world example.
The Incident: A Compromised Email
We were contacted by a small business that had been using free antivirus protection as its only defense. They understood the importance of security, but not quite the depth that is required to be secure.
They had an incident with one of their emails that was compromised, which sent out a phishing email to other colleagues. They were able to contain the incident and minimize damage. But if something were to go wrong, here’s why we wouldn’t be able to help.
Photo by Terranova Security
Seeking Help After the Breach: Why Free Antivirus Isn’t Enough
Our company relies on proactive cybersecurity and IT, so we work on prevention rather than reaction. The issue is that this business only considered strengthening its cybersecurity and IT after an incident occurred.
This doesn’t solely happen to small businesses, though, as we’ve seen companies with billion-dollar market caps do the same thing. Many small businesses believe free antivirus software is enough. Until an incident occurs.
The fact is that free antivirus protection isn’t capable of defending against sophisticated attacks such as phishing and social engineering.
What Proactive Protection Would Have Done Better Than Free Antivirus
Proactive cybersecurity is all about prevention, what you do before an attack takes place. Free antivirus protection can only act once something is on your device, and by then, it turns reactive.
Regarding the incident, the attacker could’ve gained access to the account through a phishing email. That’s why we implement advanced filtering that blocks phishing emails like these from ever entering the inbox of our clients.
If their credentials were compromised another way, our 24/7 monitoring can detect suspicious account activity on a user’s device. We can scan all data flowing in and out of a network and collect activity logs from devices. Then stop whatever activity is deemed malicious.
Employee training is another service we offer clients to ensure they’re educated on phishing scams and other modern cyberattacks. With a reported 95% of data breaches caused by human error, the free antivirus risks aren’t worth it.
Photo by Fortinet
The Bigger Lesson for Small Businesses
Free antivirus protection just isn’t good enough to have complete security for a business. If an incident were to be contained, that would still waste time, create stress, and shake trust.
Even paid antivirus software is still lacking the scope of protection you would get with a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP). These businesses, like ourselves, are here to keep you doing what you do best while we work to secure your online environment.
We provide our clients with a positive ROI, confidence, and resilience because they know that their company data and client data are protected.
The Lesson: Don’t Wait to Upgrade Beyond Free Antivirus Protection
The small business we discussed was lucky enough to catch the attack and stop it before it could spread and cause damage. But luck is not a consistent strategy. Relying on free antivirus protection is like driving a car with bald tires. While it may work for right now, it takes just one incident to cause a disaster.
So don’t wait until after an incident occurs to start looking at IT and cybersecurity services for your company. By then, it could be too late. If you’re unsure about the investment in IT and cybersecurity, contact us today.
We’ll give you a breakdown of your cybersecurity and IT vulnerabilities with guidance from our team of experts. With no fluff, just facts.
Tom Kirkham brings more than three decades of software design, network administration, and cybersecurity knowledge to organizations around the country. During his career, Tom has received multiple software design awards and founded other acclaimed technology businesses.
