What Does It Mean? Layered Defense

These days, you can't read, hear. or see anything about computer security without catching the phrase "Layered Defense" or something like that. Well, the first thing you want to know is, what is it?

First, let's start with one layer of defense. Let's say you have an antivirus program. This should be enough, right? But the issue is, some malware can sneak past your antivirus or even disable the antivirus entirely. That looks a little something like this.

OK Defense. Some attacks blocked.

The Antivirus blocks some attacks, but some get to the computer and cause havoc.

How can we fix this issue? By using more then one layer. You can use Safe Computing for one.

Safe Computing is being smart before you click. Like I have said before, once you start thinking with your other head, you are a big target. Don't click on anything suspicious, and make sure you know what's real and what's not real.

You can also use a firewall. Security orientated firewalls block malware that attempts to access your computer via the network.

With these two extra layers in place, your "Layered Defense" looks a little more like this.

Better Defense. More attacks blocked.

So, the more layers you have, the less likely you are to get infected. If you still have trouble conceptualizing this, think of an onion. The more layers it has, the harder it is to get to the core.

And these three layers are just the beginning. You can add anything you like to increase your defenses based on your budget and your level of paranoia. And let us not forget that a little bit of paranoia when it comes to protecting what is important to you is a good thing. An example of top notch security would look a little like this.

Defense for the very paranoid. Most if not all attacks blocked.

 Now I am not about to suggest that you need to get all of this stuff. And there are some things in here that you may not know about. Stay tuned and we will discuss all of these unfamiliar aspects in future blog posts.