How to protect with a malware filter
The aim of this post is to explain what malware is, how it works and how the FlashStart malware protection can help you defend your computer and other connected devices from internet malware threats and the risks they pose in a world that is more and more connected.
1. What is malware?
The word malware is the contraction of the two words “malicious software”. Indeed, malware is intrusive software specifically designed by cybercriminals with the aim of intruding, attacking, damaging and often destroying computers and other devices that are directly or indirectly connected to the internet.
The FlashStart® malware blocking tool is the ideal solution to protect your devices from a wide variety of types of malware, which include but are not limited to: ransomware, viruses, adware, trojans, phishing sites, PUPs, fraud sites and many more.
FlashStart® is available as the ClientShield app, an app that can be installed on all your devices, or as a software to set up at the router level. Start your free trial now and enjoy the FlashStart® malware protection wherever you need.
>> The FlashStart web filtering software for businesses helps you prevent attackers from targeting your company ? Start your free trial now
2. How does malware work?
For malware to work well it should go unnoticed: hackers configure it so that it is hard for users to understand that they are facing a cyberattack. When an internet user connects to a malicious website, the malware is silently downloaded without asking for the user’s permission.
So the first step for a hacker is to attract users towards the malicious website. This is often achieved with email phishing attempts and adware that are built in a way as to tempt the user to click on them in order to find out more, for example, about special dedicated offers, content that they specifically find interesting, solutions to problems they have been researching online.
Once they click on the link, they will be redirected to the malicious website which will proceed with the attack. An attack usually includes the undetected download of a software that collects data and shares them with the hackers, who will be able to ask for ransomware in order to release the information acquired, threatening to destroy the computer system if the ransomware is not paid.
The 2020 Data Breach Report by the Identity Theft Resource Centre reported that “62% of cyberattacks that led to data breaches in 2020 involved phishing and ransomware” (Read the article here). Attacks are becoming more and more sophisticated and difficult to detect using traditional systems. This is why advanced threat protection tools have become essential in order to defend yourself against carefully tuned cyberattacks.
3. How FlashStart® protects your network against malware
FlashStart® is the ideal malware filter to protect your devices from costly cyberattacks. It offers a great quality-price ratio and is efficient at blocking malware and other internet threats. Request a quotation or test and try our cloud panel.
Are you an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or a network administrator? FlashStart® is the solution you have been looking for:
» FlashStart®’s malware filter functions as a DNS anti malware filtering tool
» It is continuously updated
» Users cannot disable it and will not actually want to disable it!
3.1 FlashStart® DNS malware protection
FlashStart®’s malware filter is based on the DNS system, meaning Domain Name System. When a user wants to visit a website, s/he will type the name of the website in the search tab. However, this name is meaningless to the computer, since computers only recognise numerical strings. This is why an IP address is needed. The DNS system converts the name of the website typed by the user to the numerical IP address recognised by the computer and internet network.
FlashStart®’s DNS malware protection consists in blocking access to specified IP addresses because of their content. The FlashStart® malware filter is an internet content blocker that acts as a checkpoint during the navigation:
» The user types the name of the website s/he wants to access
» The DNS anti malware system sends a request to the cloud checkpoint – to find out more about cloud web filtering click here.
» If the checks give a positive result then the user will be redirected to the website, otherwise an error message will appear.
>> FlashStart protects you from a wide range of threats and prevents access to malicious websites ? Start your free trial now and navigate safely towards the future
3.2 FlashStart®’s scanning and updating
The FlashStart® malware blocking tool is continuously updated: every day it uses a combination of artificial intelligence and human skills to scan the internet in order to find out new potential threats, highlight malicious websites, and recognise new developments in existing internet malware threats.
Every time a new threat is highlighted, it is added to the deny lists (blacklists) that are saved in the cloud and constitute the barrier used to filter all requests to access websites. Remember that you can customize the list: see here how. This allows FlashStart® to offer a malware filter service that is always:
» updated
» reliable
» efficient.
3.3 FlashStart® filter safety
Malware protection will be the most effective when users actually feel it is good for them. Here are some characteristics that make the FlashStart® malware blocking tool good for the users:
» It guarantees almost zero latency: the checks are conducted in such a fast way that most of the time users will not even notice that something is going on.
» It blocks undesired and distracting contents: the FlashStart® internet content filter blocks unwanted content, which may include ads, pop-ups and other annoying features that slow down the navigation process. To find out more about all sorts of contents that can be automatically blocked click here.
» It makes you feel safe: in a world where we are constantly connected to the internet but also we are the constant target of undesired content and internet malware threats, feeling you are navigating in a safe and protected manner is one of the best sensations you can experience.
And what about ISPs and network administrators? FlashStart® is difficult for the end-user to disable. Once they have installed it, ISPs and network administrators can forget about it and relax. In order to disable it, a special password is required, which FlashStart® makes available only to the ones who are in charge of the internet network.
>> FlashStart is leader in competitiveness ? Request an offer
4. Malware in the pandemic era
As mentioned above, cyberattacks have increased a lot over the past couple of years. The pandemic and all the internet use that has stemmed from it have certainly played a big part in this increase but the latest technological developments have also had a role in it. Such developments will accompany us in the future and this is why it is important to start already now to make them safer and become accustomed to using malware protection tools.
In this panorama, FlashStart® represents a flexible yet reliable solution to achieve the target of internet safety through dns malware protection. You can request a quotation now and start setting up the malware filter that will allow you to navigate in a protected way without even noticing it.
4.1 FlashStart® defends your IoT devices from malware attacks
Today we live in what is called the Internet Of Things – IoT (you can read here our dedicated article) – which includes any electronic device which has got a processor, an operative system and an internet connection. All such devices are comparable to a computer and, as such, they are all potential subjects of cyberattacks.
The list of devices is long and includes all sorts of home appliances and home devices (from thermostats to doorbells), sensors, webcams, cars and all other electronic devices which are connected to the internet. What we can expect for the future is a further increase in their number and hence in the need to protect them with appropriate dns anti malware tools.
FlashStart® allows you to protect all your connected devices. You can install the malware filter at the router level: in this way all devices connected to the router will be automatically protected. And what about devices that are outside the house or moving around? FlashStart® can be installed also at the end-point thanks to ClientShield, the FlashStart® malware protection app.
You can activate the FlashStart® Cloud protection on any sort of Router and Firewall to secure desktop and mobile devices and IoT devices on local networks.
