We all want to know which is the best antivirus software in the market. An antivirus is a popular software for computer users who value the security and the information on the devices or the devices that they share. However, most people don’t know how this security software works. All they know is installing and running the antivirus software. So, what is a virus? What is an antivirus? How does an antivirus software work in fighting computer viruses? Read on to get answers to these and other questions that relate to an antivirus.
What are the Characteristics of the Best Antivirus Software?
Finding the best antivirus software for your unique computing needs can be a challenge. What is antivirus software? It’s a set of programs or files that fight viruses in your computer by deleting or deactivating them. An antivirus will keep your computer or device that you have installed it on safe and allow it to perform as expected.
What is a Virus?
A computer virus is a program or set of files that adversely affects the performance of a computer. A virus can completely overrun the functioning of a computer and cause it to crash. Computer viruses are spread from one device to another through removable devices and when the devices are connected through a network.
The growth of the Internet has particularly fueled the spread of viruses. The best antivirus software must be able to distinguish between the various types of viruses and threats. These include:
Viruses
A virus is a small piece of code that attaches itself to a safe program, which makes it challenging for you to detect. They are called viruses because they rely on the host to survive, just like a biological virus does. When the program which the virus has attached itself on is removed, the virus is also removed.
The virus will launch itself every time you start the program that has it embedded. A virus will weaken the security systems making them vulnerable to attack by hackers. The best antivirus software must be configured to take this into account.
Worm
This type of computer virus exploits the security loopholes in the software to attack it or your computer. Once they gain access to your software or computer, they check the network for other hosts.
The virus then replicates itself. Worms mostly attack a network and cause congestion, which can bring down a network altogether. Worms are highly destructive because they spread easily, especially during this digital era.
Trojan Horse
A trojan horse finds its way into your computer by tricking you to be a good program or file. Mostly, a trojan horse will come as an attractive game or media file that prompts you to take action to proceed. The trick can be clicking a certain button to win or get other benefits. Once you fall for the bait, the virus will find its way into your system and start affecting its performance.
2 Features the Best Antivirus Software must have
So, how does an antivirus work to keep viruses away from your computer? This software works in two ways:
Signature Scanners
This method entails identifying threats that are already known. In this approach, antivirus software has a dictionary containing all the common threats and viruses that are known to attack computers. The software compares the contents of files on your computer with what is in the dictionary.
If the antivirus identifies a malicious file or one that has been flagged in the dictionary, it tries to delete or repair it. The dictionary needs to be updated regularly with new or emerging threats; hence, the need to keep your antivirus updated.
Heuristic Detectors
This method is used to detect viruses or threats that are not known. In this approach, the antivirus software will scan through your computer to detect any suspicious activities that aren’t done by the user. For example, the software can create a decoy file that the user doesn’t know about and then monitor it.
If there are any changes done on the file, then it means there is a threat or virus on the computer. This approach is effective in fighting new viruses or the old ones that keep changing their mode of working or names.
Antivirus is an important software that no device should lack, especially if the device is used to browse online or unknown devices are plugged into it regularly. However, this software is only useful if it is updated regularly. You should also fine-tune it to avoid conflicts because the antivirus can remove or affect the performance of genuine programs, especially if they are from an unknown source.
