Identifying known viruses
Anti-virus protection works to identify known threats using signature-based detection. This type of detection matches virus signatures to a database of known viruses. Therefore the solution makes extensive use of pattern matching in an attempt to spot a virus trying to infect a computer.
Anti-virus protection is essential but it isn’t bullet-proof so infections can get past it for a number of reasons.
Spotting suspicious code
Anti-Malware utilises heuristic-based detection methods to find suspicious program code that indicates a threat. This is a more advanced type of pattern matching than that used in basic Anti-Virus solutions and is normally part of a single solution that use both methods of detection.
Again, Anti-Malware still isn’t bullet-proof and modern threats needs even greater protection using as a MDR (Managed Detection and Response) solution such as SentinelOne – the engine behind ConnectWise MDR™ Endpoint Protection.
Because Anti-virus and Anti-Malware products are often included in a single product, the exact definition of each has become blurred over time. However, the important point is that they are essential as a basic security starting point but they are not enough to protect against more advanced threats that we are seeing today.
At Alliance Solutions, we use a combination of security services to offer both anti-virus and anti-malware protection with other layers of protection as well.
Better security against modern threats
Managed Detection and Response, often referred to as MDR, is a newer generation of software protection that is installed on computers to prevent attacks especially by the likes of ransomware and data theft related attacks.
These types of attacks are now becoming so common that they have effectively become their own pandemic. Estimates vary but some figures show that up to half of all organisations have already been infected and most don’t know it yet. Often the attacking software sits dormant for long periods of time waiting for a command to start an attack.
Advanced MDR solutions are able to spot the actual attack as it happens. This is done by looking for patterns of behaviour during the attack and shutting down any software that is behaving in a way considered to be dangerous or suspicious. This type of solution is best paired with a security monitoring service to act on MDR alerts.
Alliance Solutions supplies, installs and manages a best-in-class MDR solution called SentinelOne as part of our ConnectWise MDR™ Endpoint Protection service.
