“We have antivirus, so we’re protected” sounds reasonable, right?
When you install antivirus software, it runs in the background, tells you if it finds something suspicious, and you assume your business is covered.
Unfortunately, it’s not always that simple.
Antivirus is an important part of your security, but remember, it’s only **one layer of protection **and not a *complete *security strategy.
A business can have antivirus installed on every computer and still have significant security gaps. For example, antivirus isn’t going to automatically stop:
If an attacker gains access to someone’s account, they may be able to access email, files, contacts, and other sensitive company information.
If someone obtains an employee’s password, they may be able to log into services using legitimate credentials. From the computer’s perspective, there may be nothing obviously malicious happening.
Modern phishing attacks don’t always look like obvious scams we’re used to seeing (see our blog on the CSWD phishing scam). A convincing email can trick an employee into clicking a link, entering their credentials, or giving away sensitive information, putting your business at risk.
Multi-factor authentication is essential, but it isn’t completely foolproof. If an attacker repeatedly sends login requests and an employee accidentally approves one, antivirus can’t stop the account takeover.
Antivirus can help detect and prevent certain types of malicious software, but no security product can **guarantee **that ransomware won’t get through.
That’s why backups and a recovery plan matter!
Antivirus is great, and your small business should absolutely have it. However, it is important not to confuse having only antivirus with being completely protected.
Good security isn’t about having one good security product like antivirus or MFA. It’s about having multiple layers of security that work together.
