Protect Your Confluence Workspace: Malware Scanning

As businesses increasingly rely on collaboration tools, ensuring data security is paramount. Atlassian Confluence, a popular collaboration platform, allows users to upload and share files. However, this functionality introduces the risk of malware entering your organization. Scanning these uploads for malicious content can safeguard your team from potential cyberattacks.

In this blog post, we’ll explore why scanning Confluence attachments for malware is essential, and examine some solutions for achieving this, including client-side scanning and attachmentAV. We’ll also dive deeper into how attachmentAV works to protect your Confluence environment.

Why Confluence Attachments Need to Be Scanned for Malware?

File uploads in Confluence can be a double-edged sword. While they enable teams to collaborate more effectively, they also present a security challenge. Files from various sources, especially if shared by external collaborators or downloaded from the internet, can harbor malware, ransomware, or other malicious content. Once uploaded to Confluence, these files can be distributed across the organization, infecting multiple devices and potentially causing significant damage.

The risk is further heightened as Confluence may be integrated with other systems and accessed by various users, some of whom may not have rigorous security practices in place. This makes malware scanning of all uploaded files a crucial security measure.

Key Risks of Unscanned Confluence Uploads

• Malware Infiltration: Files uploaded by external or internal users can spread malware, which can remain undetected until it spreads.
• Ransomware: Malware embedded in attachments could lock down critical data and require a ransom to restore access.
• Phishing: Files may contain scripts or documents with embedded phishing attempts that trick users into divulging sensitive information.

Overview of Solutions Available

There are several ways to ensure that Confluence attachments are scanned for malware. Let’s discuss two primary methods: client-side scanning and server-side solutions like attachmentAV for Atlassian Confluence.

Relying on Client-Side Scanning

One option is to rely on client-side scanning solutions, such as antivirus (AV) software installed on users’ devices. This approach ensures that files are scanned before they are uploaded to Confluence. While this method provides some level of security, it has limitations:

• Inconsistent Coverage: Users may have different AV software, or none at all, meaning not all files will be scanned.
• Varying Effectiveness: The effectiveness of the scan depends on the AV solution installed on each user’s device, which could be outdated or ineffective against new malware.
• No Centralized Control: Organizations cannot guarantee that every file has been scanned and deemed safe, leading to potential vulnerabilities.

Server-Side Scanning with attachmentAV

For more robust security, server-side solutions like attachmentAV for Atlassian Confluence are preferred. These solutions integrate directly into Confluence, ensuring that every uploaded file is scanned for malware before it’s available for download or sharing. This approach provides centralized control, eliminates the risk of relying on users’ individual AV solutions, and is more effective for securing your Confluence environment.

How attachmentAV Works

attachmentAV is a plugin designed to scan all Confluence uploads for malware. It acts as a server-side scanning solution that ensures that each attachment is scanned before it is made available to users.

Key Features of attachmentAV

• Automated Scanning: Every file uploaded to Confluence is automatically scanned for malware in real-time. Users do not need to initiate scans manually.
• Commercial Antivirus Engine: attachmentAV uses Sophos’ leading antivirus engine, allowing for flexibility in choosing the right protection for your environment.
• Notification and Mitigation: If malware is detected in an uploaded file, attachmentAV deletes the file and can notify administrators and users. This ensures that malicious files do not spread or impact the system.
• Detailed Reporting: Administrators can access detailed reports of scanned files, including malware detections, scan results, and actions taken, making it easier to monitor and address threats.

How It Works

1. File Upload: A user uploads a file to Confluence.
2. Real-Time Scanning: attachmentAV immediately scans the file using the Sophos antivirus engine before it is made available in the system.
3. Mitigate & Alert (If Needed): If malware is detected, the file is deleted, and relevant parties (admin or user) are alerted.
4. Clean Files Available: If the file is clean, it is uploaded and made accessible to other users.

This method ensures that even if users are not using AV software, the files they upload are scanned centrally, protecting the entire Confluence instance from potential threats.

Conclusion

In today’s digital landscape, protecting collaboration platforms like Confluence from malware threats is non-negotiable. While relying on client-side antivirus solutions can offer some protection, they lack consistency and reliability. Server-side solutions like attachmentAV provide a robust, automated method of scanning all Confluence uploads for malware, ensuring that your team can collaborate securely.

By implementing a solution like attachmentAV for Atlassian Confluence, your organization can protect itself from malware risks, maintain centralized control over file security, and provide a safer collaboration environment for all users.