What is Antivirus Software? - Importance, Types, and Uses

In the digital world, where danger lurks around every corner, antivirus software is your knight in shining armor.

It’s a powerful tool that can help protect your computer from malware, viruses, and other threats. But what exactly is antivirus software, and how does it work?

In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at antivirus software. We’ll explain what it is, how it works, and why it’s so important for your computer’s security. We’ll also discuss the different types of antivirus software available, so you can choose the right one for your needs.

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What is Antivirus Software?

Antivirus software is a dedicated software that helps in detecting cyber threats such as malware, spyware, and phishing.

By downloading this software, you can modify the settings to the extent that the software deletes such threats immediately. The level of automated or manual threat detection varies based on the type of antivirus software you are opting for.

Antivirus software can be given permission to detect threats in the background as well.

Following are the different types of cyberthreats that antivirus software is designed against.

Phishing

In phishing attacks, you will receive mail from an apparent bank or government representative stating that your account has been hacked or compromised by a third party. The motive of the mail is to make you click the given link where the attacker can fetch your data easily. Sometimes, the stories in the mails might change based on the type of phishing.

Tech giants, such as Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft, have been working toward filtering such messages in your mail. While a majority of such mails do get filtered and sent to spam, phishing mails, sometimes, play around the algorithm and land in your primary mail.

If you see such mails, permanently delete the same immediately.

Malware

It is important to understand malware to understand antivirus. Malware functions with the intention to loot your bank account, steal your identity, and many more activities of malicious nature.

A few pieces of malware can delete your important files, make your system crash, damage your server, and much more.

Spyware

Spyware usually enters into your device’s operating system, spies your activities, and generates ads accordingly. Sometimes. spyware generates unwanted ads as well.

But, how does antivirus work toward finding the above-mentioned types of cyberthreats? The following section of this blog, what is antivirus, will answer the same.

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How Antivirus Works?

When you install any antivirus software, it usually comes with preloaded information of the existing and popular viruses in the world.

When you run antivirus software, it matches your computer’s information and the preloaded information. When there is a match, you will be notified of the same. You can delete the affected files manually by choosing the clean, clear, or delete option in the antivirus software.

In addition, you can change the settings to automatically delete such malware or viruses in the future as well.

To understand what is antivirus more effectively, it is important to understand what is anti-malware as well. The following section will address the same.

Importance Of Antivirus

Antivirus plays an important role in any device. Following are a few of the top protection provided by it.

• Antivirus detects malware and viruses that prominently penetrate company systems. This will help in maintaining the hygiene of the computer.
• The growth of hackers is immense these days. Hackers tend to target sensitive and confidential data from your system. In the presence of antivirus, the activity of data access and more can be detected. Moreover, the data will be protected to a great extent by the antivirus software.
• If you regularly plug in external devices to your PC, the antivirus software will protect your PC/laptop from any potential virus from any external device.

Through the above-mentioned methods, your PC/ laptop will be protected against viruses to a great extent. As a result, your computer will have a long life.

Antivirus vs Anti-malware

The similarity between antivirus and anti-malware is that both are designed to protect your device from attackers.

Antivirus software is designed to protect your device from all types of attacks, while anti-malware is designed to protect your device from malware only.

In brief, it can be said that the uses of antivirus are universal. In contrast to the uses of antivirus, anti-malware has specialization to protect your device against Trojans and ransomware effectively.

But, what are the different types of antivirus software you should be aware of to choose the best-suited antivirus software for you in 2021? The following section of this blog, what is antivirus, will answer the same. The following examples of antivirus software are as per the ITProPortal’s 2021 report. You can read more here.

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Popular Antivirus Software

Comodo Windows Antivirus Software

This software is compatible with Windows operating system and covers one device at a time. This antivirus software comes with cloud-based scanning, secure shopping, game mode, and 24/7 tech support. It comes with firewall protection as well.

You can purchase this antivirus software for US$39.99 annually.

ESET NOD32 Antivirus

This is one of the latest types of antivirus software in the market. This software is compatible with Windows operating system and can support up to five devices at a time. It comes with a ransomware shield, UEFI scanner, exploits blocker, and cloud-powered scanning.

It comes with PowerShell that scans your external devices for viruses as well. You can purchase this antivirus software for US$39.99 annually.

Trend Micro Antivirus+ Security

This is one of the latest types of antivirus software in the market. This software is compatible with Windows operating systems and can support one device at a time.

This antivirus software comes with ransomware protection, advanced AI learning, email scam safeguard, and pay guard. This antivirus software is chosen by a lot of people for the software’s affordable pricing, easy handling, and comparatively stronger protection.

You can buy this highly-sensitive antivirus at US$29.95 annually. You can test this software today via the software’s free 30-day trial.

But, is antivirus software worth investing in? The following section of this blog on ‘what is antivirus’ will answer the same.

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Antivirus Software

Both advantages and disadvantages of computer antivirus are given below:

Advantages of Antivirus Software:

• Your device will be protected against viruses, Trojans, worms, spyware, adware, rootkits, and keyloggers. As a result, your data will be protected as well.
• In cases where you accidentally click a phishing link or any such malicious link, it will protect your device and data. Antivirus software decreases the percentile of virus infection multifold.
• Antivirus software protects your confidential information from hackers as well. This is possible through antivirus software’s firewall provision.
• By installing this, you can save thousands of dollars in computer repair costs every year.
• Antivirus software can help in eliminating spam emails as well.

Disadvantages of Antivirus Software:

• Since antivirus software comes in large sizes, your device, at times, can experience lag.
• Few antivirus software can come without inbuilt firewall provision. This can increase the chances of your device being attacked. Thus, to ensure safety, make sure that your antivirus software comes with firewall protection.

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Conclusion

Viruses and malware are evolving throughout the world. Over the years, attackers and hackers have been finding technological tactics to attack your devices and circumvent antivirus software systems. Thus, it is always advisable to invest in it with firewall protection. Furthermore, updating antivirus software regularly will ensure smooth functioning of the same.