Fileless attacks are particularly dangerous in the corporate world since. Because Fileless malware becomes especially effective after installing in the RAM of servers active 24/7, 365 days a year. So Fileless attacks can hit any organization – like the Democratic National Committee in the US in mid-2016 for example. A hacker known as Guccifer 2.0 inserted a piece of Fileless malware into the Committee’s system and then gained access to 19,252 emails and 8,034 attachments. The document of the District Court for the District of Columbia states that Powershell scripts were used to hack the Microsoft Exchange Server of the Committee.

This intrusion resulted in the publication of a series of revelations that ended up hindering Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump’s then rival.

How to protect against Fileless attacks

Cybersecurity experts recommend the following measures to withstand the threat of fileless malware intrusion:

1. A company that wants to protect its corporate cyber security has to be cyber-resilient and therefore stay informed about new kind of attacks.
2. Avoid scripting languages like Powershell, because fileless malware actively exploits them. You can either delete Powershell or configure the system so that an attacker can’t exploit it.
3. Use adapted solutions to detect malicious code – not just on the file system, but also in the RAM.
4. Beware of Macros – they’re the most common tools on any computer and a possible entry point for fileless malware. As with scripting languages, companies don’t necessarily need to give up on all kinds of Macros. But they do need to be responsible when using them.

Fileless Attack Prevention Advice – From the Experts

Reputable sources of protection against fileless attacks stress that you need to “Keep your software up to date. As inconvenient as they can be, software updates are usually done to patch critical security vulnerabilities.” It’s one of the best practices for fileless malware protection.

 As far as Microsoft products are concerned, Comparitech tell us “How to stop fileless malware”: “The main defense against any type of malware is to keep your software up to date. As Microsoft has been very active in taking steps to block the exploitation of PowerShell and WMI, installing any updates from Microsoft should be a priority.”

Ilia Kolochenko, CEO, Founder, High-Tech Bridge, speaks about the vulnerability of not keeping web applications up to date:

“It’s a very colorful, albeit very sad, example how a vulnerability in a web application can lead to disastrous consequences for an entire company, its customer base and beyond. Today, almost any critical data is handled and processed by web applications, but cybersecurity teams still seriously underestimate the risks related to application security.

Most companies don’t even have an up2date application inventory. Without knowing your assets, you won’t be able to protect them. Many global companies still rely on obsolete automated solutions and tools for their application security, while cybercriminals are already using machine-learning in their attacks when targeting and profiling the victims.”

Our cybersecurity experts at Plesk also advocate the importance of timely and regular installation of updates. Whether on your operating system, hosting server software, web applications, or CMS plugins. Right now, it’s the best way to protect against fileless attacks. Have a look at our Change Log for the latest information and released Plesk updates, and their installation procedure.