If your network becomes infected with a virus, the average response is going to be to panic, and with good reason. IT security is a significant matter, and when breached, could cause large business continuity issues. So, here are a few things you should do in the event that you do detect a virus on your system.
Don’t panic
The first thing to do is to not panic and do anything rash. This situation is more common than you think; according to the UK government, over 75% of all businesses experienced a security breach in 2014-2015 [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/information-security-breaches-survey-2015]. With this in mind, your organisation likely has a plan in place, so start enacting that plan, which might involve alerting an external managed service provider, like Rapid IT. The first step, for example, is almost always to isolate the virus by disconnecting any hardware that is infected from the rest of the network.
Understand it
The next step is to consult with relevant experts, and identify what the virus is, and what it does. In doing this, your next steps will become a lot easier to figure out. For example, if you can identify that the virus’s intention is to crash systems, your data is possibly safe. Conversely, you may need to engage in an investigation of what data has been breached if there has been any activity in that regard.
Come up with a solution
Ultimately, the goal is going to be to destroy the virus through virus removal techniques. Your options may be varied, and coming up with the best solution is going to be important. For example, if you have robust backup solutions in place, restoring a backup of your entire network to before the infection occurred may be an option. More commonly though, antivirus software is going to be employed by your entire department or helpdesk support service to remove the virus.
Keep notes
Finally, be sure to have detailed notes about the incident, to both have an understanding of what happened if you need to report on it, as well as so you can be better prepared in future. If you engaged any tech support, such as Rapid IT, be sure that they provide you with a report of what actions they took, and what happened. This will ensure that the picture you have of the situation is complete.
Summary
With a good IT security system in place, you will be able to mitigate almost all malicious attacks on your network. But no system is infallible, and you should be prepared for when you do encounter a breach. Follow the in place plan, understand the breach, resolve it, and then keep full documentation; by completing these steps you will handle the situation in the best way possible. If you have questions about this process, or IT security generally, be sure to give the best in the business, Rapid IT, a call today on 1300 727 430.
