Managing Malware in Higher Learning Institutions

Abstract

"Malware" is an umbrella term that describes a variety of Internet-borne threats, including viruses, spyware,Trojan horses, spam, bots and more. This sophisticated and evolving security threat puts all businesses at risk, no matter how big or small. Malware creates unique challenges to Higher Learning Institutions (HLI) in protecting their information assets. This is largely due to the fact that HLI Information Technology (IT) departments must balance between enabling a highly collaborative, non-restrictive environment and ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data and computing resources. HLIs can proactively defend the network to reduce the risks associated with this threat by assessing the vulnerabilities and threats present in their networks and implementing appropriate multilayer security. A multilayer approach involves applying countermeasures at every layer of the computer network, from the perimeter routers and firewalls to users' personal computers in order to increase network security. The goal of this study is to propose a framework for network security protection against malware to increase the level of protection using non technical countermeasures.