Antivirus is a type of software designed to scan, detect, prevent, and delete malware from your computer. When antivirus is installed on a computer, the software automatically runs in the background and provides real-time protection against different types of viruses.
A comprehensive virus protection suite can protect your hardware and files from different kinds of malware such as Trojan horses, worms, and spyware. Antivirus vendors may also provide additional layers of protection such as website blocking and customizable firewalls.
With the ever-growing Internet of Things, the risks associated with cybercrime for phones and other mobile devices connected to the internet also increases. According to the Internet Security Threat Report 2018 from Symantec, there was a 54% increase from 2017 in malware such as spyware, viruses, and ransomware for mobile devices. Reports of identity theft and data breaches are also continuously rising.
Malware
Malicious software, more often referred to as malware, is a term used to stand for various types of software programs specifically created to harm or perform unwanted activities in a computer, computer network, or server. The most common examples of malware are viruses, Trojan horses, and spyware. Different types of malware have different purposes. It can delete files, slow down the performance of a computer, or completely take over and crash a device. Cybercriminals use malware to send spam, collect personal and financial data, and use your information for identity theft.
Spyware
Spyware is a type of malicious software design to attach and hide in an operating system without the user’s permission. It can make unwanted changes, gather your personal information, and send it to a third party. Spyware is used to track user’s online activities and generate advertisements or display specific websites on your browser.
Phishing
A phishing attack often uses emails or fake websites trying to pose as a legitimate entity to trick users into providing their personal or financial details. This information is used to steal money or get access to certain accounts. Phishing scams often use the scenario of an issue with your payment details or that suspicious activity was detected in your account. They will then ask you to click on an attachment or link and enter your details.
Antivirus software and computer security programs are created to evaluate, files, webpages, applications, and software to identify and get rid of malware as fast as possible. The majority of antivirus software offers real-time protection against incoming threats for your devices; perform regular full scans of your computer system for all known threats and run automatic updates; and identify, block, and remove malicious software and code.
Given the constant increase in activities performed online as well as emerging threats, it becomes even more important to get an antivirus program to protect your devices. There is no shortage of antivirus software in the market. There are tons of excellent products that you can choose from depending on your needs.
Antivirus software starts working by checking the programs and files on your computer against their database of known threats and malware types. As mentioned earlier, new viruses are continuously being created and disseminated by hackers. Because of this, a good antivirus should also scan for new or unknown malware threats in your computer or device.
Most antivirus programs normally use three types of virus detection. Specific detection looks for known threats and malware. Generic detection searches for the known types or parts of malware or varieties of known families. Heuristic detection looks for unknown viruses by looking for known suspicious file structures or behavior. When the antivirus finds a file containing a virus, the next step is to quarantine that file or tag it for deletion which makes the file inaccessible and removes the threats to your device.
