What is Antivirus? “The definition, Types & Tips to Choose”

 

What is Antivirus?

“The definition, Types & Tips to Choose”

Antivirus

Computer viruses share many similarities with real-life viruses, which is why they were named. However, while the flu season begins in late fall and ends in February, the computer virus season is in full swing throughout the year. To protect your body from viruses, you only need to get vaccinated once a year, at the beginning of the flu season. On the other hand, to keep your computer and files safe from viruses and other threats, you need to use ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE that will provide you with full protection at any time.

 

What is Antivirus Software?

As its name suggests, antivirus software is an application or a set of programs that finds and removes viruses from computers and networks. Along with viruses, most of today's programs are also capable of detecting and removing other types of malicious software, including worms, Trojans, adware, spyware, ransomware, browser hijackers, keyloggers, and rootkits. Besides being able to identify and remove these threats, the best antivirus software can also prevent them from infecting your system.  

 

When you run a virus scanner, your antivirus program will scan your hard drive and all currently connected storage devices for potential threats. The program will inspect each file individually and simultaneously search its database for known viruses for a possible threat. Doing so, depending on the severity of the threat, will either delete, quarantine, or repair the infected file. The program will also monitor the behavior of all the software on your computer for any alarm signals.

 

Whereas in the past you had to scan manually, most antivirus programs today allow you to run automatic scans and program controls to best suit your needs. As a rule, it is recommended to perform an automatic scan every week. In addition, you can also perform manual scanners on your computer, and also on specific files and directories. Antivirus scanners are designed as background processes, which means they shouldn't use up a lot of your computing resources or slow down your computer.

 

As computer viruses are a constant threat on all platforms, today's antivirus software is designed to offer protection on all operating systems and all devices connected to the internet. This includes desktop and laptop computers that use Microsoft Windows and macOS, as well as smartphones that use iOS and Android. Statistics show that more than 360,000 malware components are released every day. For maximum security, the best antivirus software will also automatically update virus definitions at least once a day.  

 

 

What types of Antivirus Software are there?

All antivirus programs can be organized into the following three categories:

1.    Standalone antivirus software

Standalone antivirus software is a specialized tool, designed to detect and remove certain viruses. It is commonly known as portable antivirus software because it can also be installed on a USB stick and can be used by administrators to perform emergency scans of an infected system. However, most portable programs are not designed to provide real-time protection and download new definitions daily, which is why they cannot replace internet security packages that include a large variety of extras.

2.    Security software packages

As the title indicates, security software packages are more than antivirus programs. In addition to being able to detect and remove viruses, they are also equipped to fight all other malicious software and provide absolute protection at all times for your computer and files. Most of these software packages include antispyware, firewalls, and parental control components. Some also include an additional feature like password management, VPN (virtual private network), and even a standalone antivirus program built into the package.

3.    Antivirus software in the cloud

Cloud Antivirus Software is a new type of antivirus technology that scans your files in the cloud instead of on your computer, in order to free up your computing resources and enable a faster response. These programs are normally made up of two parts; the client that is installed on your computer and performs periodic virus and malware scanners, without taking up too much memory, and the web service that processes the data collected by the client and inspects it for matches with viruses and malware from its database.

 

How to choose Antivirus Software?

The market is flooded with antivirus programs that claim to provide optimal protection for your computer, your files and your personal data. With such stiff competition, finding the best antivirus software for your computing needs can be difficult. When choosing an antivirus program for your personal use, you need to consider its effectiveness against cyber threats, its performance, the components it includes, the operating systems it supports, and the number of devices it can protect.  

While there are many free antivirus programs out there, they may not be the right choice, even for a pocket watch shopper. First of all, they never offer full protection against all threats, which means that you will also have to install at least one additional antimalware program on your PC. In addition, they may also include a spyware component, so that authors can track your browsing activity and play more targeted ads.

Although not free, the best antivirus software is often available at a considerable discount. These programs are the only way to ensure that your computer and its files are safe at any time. They will monitor your computer without interruption, to detect and remove any existing viruses and malware, as well as guard against all incoming threats. In addition to your computer, they will also protect your Smartphone, tablets, smart TV sets, and all other devices with an internet connection without slowing down your performance.