Keep Children Safe on Internet by Parental Control

 

Keep Children Safe on Internet by Parental Control

If you have children, you are probably concerned about their use of technology. You are not the only one, since there are many parents who perceive the risks that it poses for children.

Digital consumption sometimes leads minors to the limit of addiction, for example, leaving aside studies, family and outdoor activities, so important for their development, or as they can be even more serious risk threatens your safety. In response to this problem, parental control was born, a service that you can access through your home insurance  & that will allow you to control the use that your children give to technology. We explain it to you in detail!

What is Parental Control?

Parental control is a system that allows you to protect children from the dangers of the Internet . It is a tool that makes it easier for us to control children's access to digital technologies. On the other hand, thanks to parental control, we can limit both the content that our children perceive and the time they spend in front of television screens, computers, tablets and mobiles. This reduces the possibility that children suffer the consequences of threats from digitization that can harm them.

Now that you know what parental control is , let's focus on how important it is today. Why is it necessary to control and / or limit the use of technology in children?

Importance of today

The proper use of new technologies is very beneficial. Children can find in them extraordinary resources to facilitate study, leisure time and communication with their friends. However, the large number of audiovisual productions, video games, virtual contacts and digital content, has sometimes caused different damages:

·    Addiction:  leaving aside studies, family, friends and outdoor activities, which are key to its development.

·       Cyberbullying:  minors who spend long hours connected to social networks are more vulnerable to insults, hurtful or discriminatory phrases.

·      Sexting:  children and adolescents run the risk of sending content of a sexual nature that they may regret when they spend a long time in front of the mobile phone.

·      Contact with strangers:  if your children surf the internet too much they are also more susceptible to coming into contact with strangers with bad intentions.

·    Inappropriate content:  Internet use can also cause children to fall for web pages with harmful content for their age, such as pornography, radicalism or violence.

Areas in which you will use Parental Controls

Parental control can be applied in many areas:

·   Web pages:  allows you to block specific pages according to the category to which they belong. You can also choose specific web pages and block their opening on your child's device.

·         Applications:  parental control will help you restrict access to the applications of your choice. For example, you can prevent your child from using a certain social network or downloading applications by restricting access to Google Play or the Apple Store.

·       Usage time:  you can limit the time your child uses certain technologies, such as games within a device.

·         Contact blocking:  thanks to parental control you can block specific phone numbers so that your child cannot call you or receive calls from you.

·         Geolocation:  parental control lets you know exactly where your child is, in real time.

·     Emergency warning: you can add an emergency button to your child's device so that he can immediately notify if he is in a dangerous situation.

Parental control: How to apply it

How to use parental control on the internet? There are many tools that you can use to protect your children from misuse of technology. For example, you can use the best parental control applications that you can use according to the Consumer Organization yx (OCU), taking into account that the vast majority are paid applications. Instead, it is a service that you can access completely and completely free of charge if you have good home insurance.

Conclusions

Parental control is a system that allows you to control and / or restrict your children's access to digital technologies. It is a tool that protects the little ones against different threats: addictions, grooming, Cyberbullying, sexting, contact with strangers and access to inappropriate content.

If you apply parental control you can limit web pages, applications and the time your children spend in front of the screens. In addition, you can block calls and include an emergency button on your mobile phone. There are numerous parental control applications that you can use, but the best option is, without a doubt, to go to your home insurance to obtain a quality service at no cost.

One PC/ Computer, One Antivirus Software

 

One PC/ Computer, One

Antivirus Software

No, it is not like having a double lock on your front door. According to most computer security experts, having more than one Antivirus Software is not a good idea. Instead of increased security, you can end up with unwanted side effects.

• How to get rid of annoying viruses that stick in browsers
• The fearsome virus that cannot be eliminated and that can destroy your cell phone

How they operate

Antivirus Software are programs designed to prevent, search, detect, and remove malicious programs on an ongoing basis. As a general rule, when the program encounters a problem, it alerts the user, who then has the option of blocking, deleting, or setting aside the dangerous file. "To be effective in the detection work, the antivirus must be able to penetrate the computer at an adequate level, deep in the core of the system, " explains the site of the company specialized in computer security Kaspersky Lab.

 

No antivirus package is perfect.

 

"The product needs to intercept events in the system. The intercepted data then goes to the antivirus engine, which analyzes it." If the user runs two or more programs for the same purpose, it is "likely that there is a conflict, with one of two consequences: one of the two antivirus fails to intercept (malicious) events in the system or attempts to installing parallel interceptors will make the system crash. "

 

Low risk

Several other specialized sites echo this warning. Microsoft's site says emphatically that "you should never use more than one antivirus program simultaneously" and PCWorld's compares it to "mixing a fine wine with a breakfast cereal."

 

"It can simply happen that the two programs contradict each other: one can detect something like malware while the other does not. Which one to believe? False positives exist in all antiviruses, so it is a complex issue," he told BBC Mundo Javier Pastor, blogger for the technological site Xataka. Viruses are a huge headache for users, businesses, and governments.

 

But others, like Alejandro Ramos, from the blog specialized in security SecurityByDefault, find that this risk is, in fact, low .

"It can happen. It can happen that one antivirus identifies the other as antivirus, or even that an antivirus identifies itself as such. But the probability is small ," he told BBC Mundo.

 

Performance

Instead, for Ramos the key question is how the use of two or more antivirus programs can impact the performance of the computer. "Antivirus analyzes all the files that the computer opens and are saved. If this process is done in duplicate, it slows down the computer's operation," he explained. "There may also be other 'blocking' problems. When a file is analyzed by an antivirus, it has to read it from the hard disk and several applications cannot read the same file at the same time. If two antivirus 'stick together' errors can occur unexpected ".

 

Choices

So if you are worried about the possibility that an ANTIVIRUS is not enough, what can you do to protect yourself from rogues on the internet? "You can increase (the effect of the antivirus) with a malware scanner, " proposes PC World .

 

This requires some additional explanation. Viruses are indeed types of malware, but specifically designed to spread by infecting existing files, like a disease that attacks the cells of the body.

Every virus is a form of malware. But there are others too, such as spyware, ransomware, and Trojans. And, in fact, many antivirus programs already protect against things that are not strictly viruses.

 

Antivirus Software run continuously, behind the scenes, and warn when they find something suspicious. According to experts, there are two fundamental differences: on the one hand, so-called antimalware programs do not work continuously behind the scenes, but can be activated, used and closed. On the other, they tend to include a range of different threats. "The antivirus protect you from malware established, predictable but still dangerous. Latest antimalware products are threats, " says the company Malware bytes on your website. In any case, it will require a little research on your part to specify what your antivirus package protects you from, as well as to choose a complementary tool.

 

8 Tips for Internet Usage for Your Children- Parental Control

 

8 Tips for Internet Usage for Your Children- Parental Control

New technologies are a double-edged sword. They can be very useful for minors since, on the one hand, they can be very helpful for their education, entertainment and development; however, they also carry some risks. Here we offer you a series of tips to protect your children from the dangers that the internet holds for them. Take note!

1. - Avoid prohibiting the use of technology. Children should learn the habits of Internet use with the lessons they can receive from their parents. In this way, over time, they will be able to make a more responsible use of it, do not forget that you are their role model.

2. - Make your child aware of the dangers of the Internet. Talk, inform and reason with them about the importance of the dangers that the internet can hold. Emphasize the importance of being careful with their identity, their data, their photographs, their behavior.

3. - Set deadlines and clear rules of use. Give it a schedule so your kids can spend time on social media or playing online games. Using the computer should be a reward after the obligations, and not a prerequisite to perform them. When we are sailing, we lose track of time and it flies by. Therefore, help your child to maintain a proper balance between Internet use and other activities.

4. - Find out how the Internet and social networks work. Knowing first-hand how the pages where your children navigate work and what they are for is very important, since in this way you make sure that your children do not enter pages with malicious content. Find out about how to protect your privacy on social networks (photos, comments, friends ...) and then pass it on to your child.

5. - Communication is key to being aware of what your child is doing. Take an interest in what he does with the computer, but without it becoming an interrogation.
Respect their privacy and let them know that, in the event of any problem, there is enough trust for their parents to be the first to know. Make it clear that you will always be on their side, trying to help.

6. - Teach him to take care of his actions on the net. Talk to them about the responsibility that their actions on the network have, since many of the young people hide in the anonymity of the network to carry out actions of harassment to other minors, violation of privacy, cyber bulling, sexting.

Holding minors responsible for their actions on the network is very important, that way they will know that this type of action cannot be carried out.

7. - Browsers in use. Eventually you can review the history of the browsers to control visits to web pages on different devices.

8. - Block offensive sites. By blocking the different websites that may be inappropriate for minors, we improve the safety of our children on the internet.

One of the easiest ways to carry out this type of control is the use of the different tools that exist in the market, such as Protegent360 Total Security Software for parental control, with which you can ensure the safe use of your children's mobile devices.

With all these tips we will be a little more reassured that the use that our children give to the Internet is much safer.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Free Antivirus Software for Schools

 

Advantages & Disadvantages of

Free Antivirus Software for Schools

Introduction.

In today's world, educational centers have great budgetary limitations, especially Public Education, which means that it is not always possible to have the financial resources to be able to acquire the necessary computer equipment, both hardware and software. When carrying out a simple analysis, it is obvious that the outlay that would be necessary to pay for the licenses of the software that is required in these institutions is almost the same that would have to be made to buy the PCs.

For this reason, the National Education System is preparing to make major changes in the use of Computer Science, while it is proposed to change the official work platform of the currently used Microsoft Windows Operating System to GNU / Linux, based on the standards of what it is known as Free Software.

For these reasons, it is necessary to implement policies, strategies that allow raising the level of knowledge of teachers to work with the new Operating System.

Development

GNU / Linux has several advantages that can be used by the Education System, such as the large amount of software available. Regardless of what you need, you can count on finding a development that meets at least the minimum requirements for what you want. In addition, in the particular case of Computer Science, as an object of study GNU / Linux offers the possibility of having the source code.

Advantage

§  Low acquisition cost and free use.

The software, as merchandise, is generally not for sale. What the user acquires, through a monetary outlay or without it, is a license regarding the uses that can be given to the programs in question. The software doesn't just cost a license purchase price. It is also difficult to maintain, operate and adjust. It is important for the user to be able to keep these costs under control; otherwise they may be prevented from achieving their goals, due to unplanned expenditures. The user who acquires free software does so without any monetary outlay or at a very low cost and offers a wide range of resources. Anyone with a computer and an Internet connection can use free software. Free software is an attractive option for most individual users because of the freedoms it guarantees without having to be burdened by price. However, in the case of companies and the Public Administration, the cost of the software is an important and sometimes determining factor in the choice of new computer systems.

§  Technological innovation.

Free software has the main objective of sharing information, working cooperatively. This is primarily the model on which humanity has innovated and advanced. The ideology of the defenders of free software is that knowledge belongs to humanity. Therefore, users have a prominent role in decisively influencing the direction in which programs evolve: voting on the errors that they want to be corrected, proposing new functionality to the program, or contributing themselves to the development of the software (at the end of the In 2004, a list of the most important innovations in software of the year 2004 was published. The free browser Fire Fox is considered the number one innovation and of the ten programs mentioned was also OpenOffice.org.).

§  Lower hardware requirements and durability of solutions.

Although it is impossible to generalize, there are documented cases that show that free software solutions have lower hardware requirements, and therefore are cheaper to implement. For example, Linux systems that act as servers can be used without the graphical interface, with the consequent reduction of necessary hardware requirements. It is also important to note that in proprietary software the author may decide at a given moment not to continue the project for a certain platform, for hardware that he considers old, or to discontinue support for a version of his software.

In free software applications, these decisions cannot be made by a company or individual but by an entire community, with different interests. Which translates into better support overall for older versions of software and minority hardware or software platforms.

These are a group of advantages that we think might be the most important, but there are many others.

Disadvantages

§  1. The learning curve is greater.

If we put two ladies who have never touched a computer, it will probably take them as long to learn to use proprietary software, for example from Microsoft, than free software like Gnome or KDE; But if users have used proprietary software before, it usually takes longer to learn how to use free software.

§  2. Free Antivirus Software has no warranty from the author.

§  3. Most of the hardware configuration is not intuitive.

Previous knowledge about the operation of the operating system and fundamentals of the equipment to be connected is required to achieve proper operation. However, the documentation regarding the hardware configuration is so explicit and detailed that it allows the novice user to deepen their knowledge of their hardware in a few hours and once they have that knowledge, the configuration becomes trivial.

§  4. The diversity of distributions, packaging methods, use licenses, tools with the same purpose, etc.

They can create confusion for a number of people. There are those who see this as a strength because they can be found from specialized distributions in embedded systems with many limitations of storage and peripheral devices of specialized use to distributions optimized for use in high-performance servers with several processors and large storage capacity; going through the distributions designed for use in desktop computers and among which are those designed for the neophyte user that are very easy to install and use and those designed for the advanced user with all the necessary tools to exploit free software in its full potential.

These are the disadvantages that most closely strike us. But there are some others that you might be thinking right now that we could also add to the list.

Comparison between Windows and GNU / Linux

There are many terms by which to assess the superiority of one operating system over another. Some are faster for the very model on which they are built, and others only differ in the low price at which they are marketed. Getting a criterion depends all the time on the study with which it is done, and what we need. It is good to review each element separately and define very well, not accommodating any specific one, either for convenience or any other reason.

Criteria for comparing two operating systems, in general, are:

Stability

Although there are in GNU / Linux what are known as unstable versions, it does not mean that this operating system is really unstable, but that the software that is under development are made public so that the improvements that are being introduced by any of the users.

Stability: GNU / Linux has the experience of a quarter of a century from Unix systems. As IBM puts it, “GNU / Linux is stable, functional, and offers great value. Like proprietary Unix systems and mainframes, GNU / Linux is very stable. “The GNU / Linux Open Source model ensures that bugs are detected and corrected quickly.

In Windows, the "alpha" versions are known, which are the first versions of a Windows operating system, and generally have many bugs. The fact that the code is closed prevents the first person to find a bug from being able to fix it, they can only report it. A big difference with any of the GNU / Linux distributions.

The same happens with important applications within the operating system, such as the Internet Explorer browser.

Elimination of processes: Something similar happens when we try to eliminate a process in Windows, many times the system is overloaded and does not allow us to do anything else, when an application has failed. In GNU / Linux there are several ways to kill processes, either by executing commands or in the shell.

Security

In July 2006, one of the international computer security companies detected 200,000 of the virus. And it predicted that in two more years this number would grow to 400,000. That company is McAfee. In 2005 alone, 11,000 viruses were detected for Windows, and only about 450 for GNU / Linux.

One of the difficulties of using Windows lies in its vulnerability to viruses. The way it is made makes it weak and very penetrable. In addition, the fame of the Microsoft company of cheating other companies has made it have many enemies who are dedicated to building viruses for this system. Although there are many antivirus for Windows it is never enough, the installation of these is often complicated, it makes the machine run slower and they are very expensive.

GNU / Linux, on the other hand, over 20 years only a dozen of them are known. Let's see why.

§  Traditionally, the programmers and users of systems based on Unix / BSD have considered security as a priority, so there are greater measures against viruses such as the need for authentication by the user as administrator or root to be able to install any additional program to the system. .

§  These systems are much less popular and used than Windows, which makes them less attractive to a virus or malicious software development.

It is worth noting that there are also antivirus for GNU / Linux, example: Clam AV. For all the reasons explained is that most of the servers in the world use GNU / Linux, even in Microsoft itself. Others use UNIX which is fast and secure.

Cost:

In Free Antivirus Software, it is mostly free. Money can be made by selling discs, or by giving technical support, but the software is generally free. There are many GNU / Linux companies that make software under commercial licenses, in fact the Open Source movement validates this way of doing business. Always in any case it is much cheaper than any proprietary SW.

Let's evaluate what happens on the other side in Windows the home edition costs $ 199. And the Professional edition $ 299. Many of the software that are used daily are very expensive, and are paid regardless of the operating system, is the case of: Photoshop ($ 449), Dreamweaver ($ 999), etc. At the same time each software update can cost a large% of money. For example, if a new Dreamweaver is released, and you want to use it, and you had already paid for the old one, you may need more than $ 200 to purchase the new version.

As an exception, and due to the North American blockade, no Microsoft software is paid, that is, the Windows operating system. That is why it does not cost schools, if this were a different reality it is necessary to pay for each software we use, in terms of cost it is easy to understand the difference with GNU / Linux, if this is used there is no need to pay it.

 

Why does one need Antivirus Software?

 

Why does one need Antivirus Software?

If viruses are no longer a major threat, why do I need computer security?

Viruses are just one type of malware. Although viruses still exist, there are other forms of malware that are more common today. For example, these are some common threats that Malwarebytes can stop:

• The adware is software designed to display unwanted ads on your screen, often in a web browser but sometimes in mobile apps. Typically, it pretends to be legitimate or is attached to another program in order to trick users into installing it on their PC, tablet or mobile device.
• The spyware is malware that secretly observes user activities on your computer without your permission, and transmits this information to the author of the software.
• A virus is malware that attaches itself to another program and, when activated, replicates itself by modifying other computer programs and infecting them with its own code.
• The worms are a type of malware that resembles viruses in both propagate, but do not require user interaction to activate.
• A Trojan , or Trojan horse, is more of a spreading method for infections than a type of infection itself. The Trojan is presented as something useful to trick users into opening it. Trojan attacks can carry any form of malware, including viruses, spyware, and ransomware.
• The ransomware is a type of malware that blocks user access to the device or encrypt your files and then forces him to pay a ransom to return them. The ransomware is considered the favorite weapon of cybercriminals because it requires a quick and profitable payment by criptomonedas difficult to trace. The code behind a ransomware attack is easy to obtain from online repositories of criminally used applications, and difficult to defend against.
• A root kit is a type of malware that provides the attacker with administrator privileges on the infected system and actively hides itself from the normal user of the computer. Rootkits are also hidden from other software on the system, even from the operating system itself.
• A keylogger or keystroke recorder is malware that records all the user's keystrokes, stores the collected information and sends it to the attacker, who is looking for confidential information such as usernames and passwords or credit card details.
• The mining malicious cripto-monedas , also called involuntary or mining crypto jacking , is a malware, or attack browser - based, increasingly frequent distributed across multiple methods of attack, including malspam, involuntary downloads and applications and fraudulent extensions. Allow other people to use your computer's CPU or GPU to mine crypto currencies such as bit coin or monero. Crypto currency mining malicious programs use your computer's resources but send the obtained coins to their own accounts, not to those of the owner of the computer. Simply put, a malicious crypto currency mining program steals resources from your device to earn money.
• The exploits are a type of threat that takes advantage of errors and vulnerabilities of a system for the creator of the exploit transmit malware. Among other threats, exploits are linked to malvertising, an attack that uses malicious advertisements, on otherwise legitimate websites, to transmit exploits. You don't even have to click the ad to be affected - exploits and accompanying malware can get installed on your computer in an inadvertent download. All you have to do is visit a good place on the wrong day.

How does anti-malware work?

The old-school method of signature-based threat detection is effective to some degree, but modern anti-malware also detects threats using new methods that look for malicious behavior. In other words, signature-based detection is a bit like looking for a criminal's fingerprints. It's a great way to identify a threat, but only if you know what the criminal's fingerprints look like. Modern anti-malware takes detection one steps further so that it can identify threats you've never seen before. By analyzing the structure and behavior of a program, you can detect suspicious activity. Continuing with the analogy, it is like realizing that a person frequents the same places as known criminals and also carries a pick in his pocket.

This newer and more effective computer security technology is called heuristic analysis . "Heuristics" is a term that researchers coined for a strategy that detects threats by analyzing the program's structure, behavior , and other attributes.

Every time a heuristic anti-malware program analyzes an executable file, it examines the overall structure, programming logic, and data of the program. At the same time, look for things like unusual instructions or junk code. In this way, it evaluates the probability that the program contains malware.

Also, a plus for heuristics is its ability to detect malware in files and boot records before the malware has a chance to run and infect your computer. In other words, heuristic anti-malware is proactive and not reactive. Some anti-malware products can also run suspicious malware in a sandbox, which is a controlled environment in which security software can determine whether or not a program can be safely deployed. Running malware in a sandbox allows anti-malware to see what the software is doing, the actions it takes, and whether it tries to hide or compromise your computer.

Another way that heuristic analysis helps keep users safe is by analyzing the characteristics of web pages to identify risky sites that could contain exploits. If it recognizes something suspicious, it blocks the site.

In short, signature-based antivirus is like a nightclub doorman consulting a large photo album and forbidding access to anyone who matches. Heuristic analysis is a gatekeeper who looks for suspicious behavior, searches people, and sends those carrying weapons home. 

Advances in computer security programs

Two relatively new forms of malware have helped drive the advancement of non-signature-based detection methods: exploits and ransomware. Although these threats are similar to others in many ways, they can be significantly more difficult to detect. In addition, once the infection occurs, it is almost impossible to eliminate.

Exploits get their name because they literally exploit vulnerabilities in a system, software, or web browser to install malicious code in various ways. Anti-exploit measures were developed as a shield against this attack method, protecting against Flash exploits and Internet browser weaknesses, including new exploits that have not been identified or vulnerabilities that have not yet been patched. .

Ransomware entered the malware scene in 2013 in spectacular fashion. The ransomware became notorious by hijacking and encrypting computer data, then extorting money by demanding payment while keeping the hijacked data, and even threatening to delete it if a deadline expired without receiving payment.

These two threats originally sparked the development of specialized anti-exploit and anti-ransomware products. In December 2016, Malwarebytes included anti-exploit technology and protection against malicious websites in the Premium version of Malwarebytes for Windows, and has since added anti-ransomware features for even more advanced anti-malware protection.

The future of cybersecurity software (already here)

The artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are the latest stars of the anti-malware technology.

AI enables machines to perform tasks for which they have not been specifically programmed before. The AI ​​does not blindly perform a limited set of commands. Instead, the AI ​​uses "intelligence" to analyze a situation and takes actions to achieve a goal such as identifying signs of ransomware activity.

Machine learning is programming that is able to recognize patterns in new data and then classifies the data in a way that teaches the machine how to learn.

In other words, AI focuses on creating intelligent machines, while machine learning uses algorithms that allow machines to learn from experience. Both technologies are ideal for computer security, especially since the number and variety of threats that appear on a daily basis are too overwhelming for signature-based methods or other manual measures. Both AI and machine learning are still in development, but they hold immense promise.

In fact, at Malwarebytes, we already use a machine learning component that detects never-before-seen malware, also known as zero-day or zero-hour . Other components of our software perform behavior-based heuristic detections, which means that they may not recognize certain code as malicious, but have determined that a file or website acts differently than it should. This technology is based on AI / machine learning, and is available to our users as real-time protection and as on-demand scanning.

For IT professionals who need to protect multiple computers, the heuristic approach is especially important. We never know what the next big malware threat will be. Hence, heuristics play an important role in Malwarebytes Endpoint Protection, as do AI and machine learning. Together, they create multiple layers of protection that address all stages of the attack chain for both known and unknown threats.

It's better to prevent than to cure

From desktops and laptops to tablets and smartphones, all of our devices are vulnerable to malware. Given the choice, who would not prefer to prevent an infection rather than have to deal with the consequences ?

So what do you need to do to stay safe? What type of computer security software – antivirus software or anti-malware - should you choose to address a threat landscape consisting of traditional viruses and emerging malware?  

The fact is, traditional antivirus alone is not up to the challenge, as evidenced by the continued emergence of press headlines reporting new successful cyber attacks. It is insufficient against zero-day threats, allows ransomware to successfully hijack computers, and does not completely remove malware. What is needed is an advanced computer security program that is flexible and intelligent enough to anticipate today's increasingly sophisticated threats.

Malwarebytes for Windows meets this need for advanced computer security (along with Malwarebytes for Mac , Malwarebytes for Android, and Malwarebytes business solutions ). Malwarebytes products protect against malware, hacker attacks , viruses, ransomware, and other ever-evolving threats, helping to maintain a safe online experience. Our AI-enhanced, heuristic technology blocks threats that traditional antivirus can't stop.

Industry analysts have singled out Malwarebytes for Windows for its layered protection approach that provides reliable protection without degrading system performance. Eliminate all traces of malware, block the latest threats, and perform scans quickly.

Whatever computer security you choose, your first line of defense is training. Stay up-to-date on the latest threats and protection by reading the regularly.

A to Z about Antivirus Software

 

A to Z about Antivirus Software

What is the difference between Antivirus and Anti-Malware?

For the most part, "Antivirus" and "anti-malware" refer to the same thing. Both refer to software designed to detect, protect, and remove malicious software. Despite what the name might suggest, antivirus software protects against more than just viruses; it just uses a slightly dated name to describe what it does. Anti-malware software, it is also designed to protect against viruses. Anti-malware simply uses a more modern name that encompasses all types of malicious software, including viruses. That said, anti-malware can prevent a viral infection from occurring and remove infected files. However, anti-malware is not necessarily equipped to restore files that a virus has changed or replaced. Both Antivirus and anti-malware fall under the broader term "computer security", also called cybersecurity.

What is computer security?

Computer security is a broad term for any strategy aimed at protecting a system against malicious attacks aimed at theft of money, personal information, system resources ( crypto jacking , botnets ) and a whole host of other undesirable actions. The attack could happen on your hardware or software, or through social engineering.

Today's cybersecurity threats and their countermeasures are varied and nuanced, but the market naturally seeks simplicity when communicating with users. This is the reason why many people continue to see "viruses" as the greatest threat to their computer. In reality, viruses are just one type of cyber threat that was common in the early days of computing. They are far from the most widespread threat today, but the name has endured. It is like calling all illnesses a cold.

What is a computer virus?

A computer virus is (generally) malicious software defined by two characteristics:

• Has to be started by an unsuspecting user. Activating a virus can be as simple as opening a malicious email attachment (malspam) or launching an infected program. Once that happens, the virus tries to spread to other systems on the network where the computer is located or through the user's contact list.

• It should replicate itself. If the software does not replicate itself, it is not a virus. This self-replication process can occur by completely modifying or replacing other files on the user's system. In either case, the resulting file should show the same behavior as the original virus.

Computer viruses have been around for decades. In theory, the origin of “automata that reproduce themselves” (that is, viruses) can be traced back to an article published by the multi-talented mathematician John von Neumann in the late 1940s. The first viruses affected platforms predating personal computers in the 1970s. However, the history of modern viruses begins with a program called “Elk Cloner“, which began infecting Apple II systems in 1982. The virus, which was spread via floppy disks, was actually harmless, but it spread to all disks attached to a system. It spread so quickly that most computer security experts consider it the first large-scale computer virus outbreak in history.

Early viruses like Elk Cloner were primarily designed as a joke. Its creators did it for notoriety and simply to show off. However, by the early 1990s, those adolescent antics had evolved to become very damaging. PC users suffered a wave of virus attacks designed to destroy data, slow down system resources, and record keystrokes (also known as Keyloggers). The need for countermeasures led to the development of the first antivirus software programs.

The first antivirus programs were exclusively reactive.  Furthermore, those early antivirus programs identified viruses using the relatively primitive technique of searching for the identification signature created by the virus author. For example, they might know that there is a virus with the file name "PC destroys", so if the Antivirus Software recognized that name, it would stop the threat. However, if the attacker changed the file name, the antivirus would not be as effective. Although early anti-virus programs could also recognize specific digital identifiers or patterns, such as certain code sequences in network traffic or known sequences of harmful instructions, they needed to be continually updated.

The first antivirus that used signature-based strategies could easily detect known viruses, but could not detect new attacks. Therefore, each new virus had to be isolated and analyzed to determine its signature, and then added to the list of known viruses. The antivirus user had to periodically download a growing database file containing hundreds of thousands of signatures. However, new viruses that preempted database updates left a significant percentage of devices unprotected. The result was a constant race to keep up with the ever-evolving threat landscape as new viruses were created and released.

Current status of computer viruses and Antivirus Software

Computer viruses today are more of a threat inherited from the past than a current risk for users. They have been around for decades and have not changed substantially. In fact, the last truly "new" virus that replicated itself through user interaction emerged in 2011 or 2012.

So if computer viruses are no longer what they were, why do people keep calling their threat protection software an antivirus program?

It all comes down to recognizing an ingrained name. Viruses made alarming headlines in the media in the 1990s, and security companies began using the term for cyber threats in general. Thus was born the term "antivirus". Decades later, many security firms continue to use the term "antivirus" to market their products. It has become a vicious cycle. Users assume that virus is synonymous with cyber threat, which is why companies call their computer security products "antivirus" software, leading users to believe that viruses are still the problem.

And here's the bottom line: While "viruses" and "antivirus" are not strictly anachronistic concepts, modern cyber threats are often far worse than their viral predecessors. They hide deeper in our computer systems and are very adept at evading detection. The traditional viruses of yesterday have spawned a gallery of advanced threats such as spyware, rootkits, Trojans, exploits, and ransomware, to name a few.

As these new categories of attacks emerged and evolved outpacing the early viruses, antivirus companies continued their mission against these new threats. However, antivirus companies weren't sure how to classify themselves. Should they continue to market their products as an "antivirus" at the risk of appearing limited? Should they use another term "anti-threat" to market themselves, such as "anti-spyware"? Or, would it be better to take a global approach and combine everything into a single product line that addresses all threats? The answers to these questions depend on the antivirus company.

At Malwarebytes, computer security is our highest-level generic category. And that's why it makes sense to wrap our efforts to combat threats into a single term that goes far beyond viruses. Therefore, the term we use that covers most of what we do is "anti-malware," which is short for "anti-malicious software."