Netskope, a cybersecurity firm, has conducted a Cloud and Threat Report. This report highlights that malware via cloud-based software has increased by 68% and shows the need for vigilance, user training, and security measures.

A huge 70% of users continue to work remotely as of the end of June 2021, meaning that cloud-based and collaboration software and services will continue to be widely used. Despite this, a whopping 97% of the cloud apps used are unmanaged, and are often freely adopted by businesses and users without oversight, compliance or security considerations.

Cloud storage – such as Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive – accounts for 66.4% of cloud malware delivery. And Office files, such as Word documents, now account for 43% of all malware downloads, up from 20% at the start of 2020.

Cloud service providers, such as Google and Microsoft, generally remove most malware as it is discovered, however attackers do find ways around the blocks and can do significant damage. The need for security and protection for cloud-based services is now more critical than ever.

Cloud Security
As an ESET Partner, we offer Cloud Office Security (COS) at reduced cost for all teams. COS is a security system designed to protect your Microsoft 365 services at source – including Outlook, Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive – against malware, spam, and phishing attacks. It is a proactive security layer installed directly into your Microsoft 365 account in the cloud, for automatic and ongoing protection.

Cloud Backup
We also offer automatic and unlimited Cloud Backup for cloud services accounts including Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, which provides ongoing protection against hacks and breaches by saving all your data in the cloud to a totally separate and secure location.

For information on how to best protect your infrastructure and data, please contact us.