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Antivirus What is it, what is it for and what are the best programs to protect your computer?

 

If you have ever wondered why the experts insisted on update the antivirus permanently, the answer is given in the paragraphs of this article.

Antiviruses are computer programs that have been running for more than 35 years. Their success is due to the help they offer in fighting, not only the virus, but also spy files, worms and other types of malware.

We will show you in this post the history of antivirus, as well as how they work and the difference that exists with a firewall. In addition, you can see what they are the best antivirus current.

What is an antivirus and what are these computer programs for?

The first thing we must define is the term “malware”. This is a concept that refers to a set of computer programs that are dedicated to damaging the operating system, with different software installed on the PC, to extract important information and spy on user activity. That is to say, Within this large set of malicious programs are viruses, spyware, adware, worms and many others..

They are created by people or companies that pursue a certain purpose, usually criminal. They are characterized by being installed on the computer without the user detecting your presence. In addition, they need the help from users themselves so they can enter the device.

Accordingly, we can emphasize that the media Preferred of these malicious programs are emails and files that are shared from dubious sources. Once we have clarified what malware and viruses are, we can say that an antivirus is a computer program that is dedicated to detect all these malicious software.

They do this in real time and need permanent updating in order to find the latest malicious files. It’s easy to use. Must be install the antivirus on the computer and configure for it to run on background constantly. This will cause that whenever there is an eminent danger, the program will notify the user of this risk, thus preventing access by any malware.

Antivirus history and evolution How have they changed over the years?

In 1984 Reaper was determined to be the first antivirus. This program was born in 1972 to combat the virus that infected computer networks, called Creeper. Although its operation is similar to what we know today as a worm or “Worm”, since you could replicate alone e install on other computers, the objective was to analyze the data chain of the infected computer to extract and remove the virus.

If we consider antivirus as we know it now, we can say that the first one was launched in 1988 and was intended to remove the virus, released the previous year, called “Brian” Which affected the performance of the hard drives and it was transmitted by email with messages from trusted contacts.

The antivirus c systemIt consisted in comparing from a database the name and extension of the files that could be at risk for the computer. Currently, the antivirus they not only analyze and do that task, but also control the lines of code of the programs to prevent any dangerous file can enter the computer.

How does an antivirus work to protect us? Main operating methods

How does an antivirus work to protect us? Main operating methods

Updating antivirus is a key issue so that these programs are efficient in the care of the computer. This is because, in each patch or new version, a list with renewed information of new viruses and malware that have been created in recent times. This database is necessary so that the antivirus can compare it with the programs that you want to enter into the computer..

I mean, every time you need to download a file the antivirus compares that information with its database, if it finds something suspicious it does not allow the entry and a warning. From this it appears that, when comparing the files that are on the computer (or those that you want to download to the device) with your dictionary carries out different types of Actions.

These are:

  • Repair the infected document, completely eliminating the virus. In this way, it puts the information that this file has into operationally.
  • In case of can’t repair it as in the previous point, quarantines him. In this way, it blocks access to the computer, but does not eliminate it.
  • Perform a permanent scan of the files that have a system to detect suspicious behavior.

What are the differences between an Antivirus and a Firewall?

What are the differences between an Antivirus and a Firewall?

The firewall is software that is installed on a device which connects to a network to manage the entry of data packets. Your job is to compare the flow of information with different protocols that were assigned beforehand. In other words, if information does not have the parameters required by the firewall, it cannot pass to the computers on the network, even if it is not malware.

From this it appears that if a virus can meet the protocol You will be able to enter any node that is part of the network. The difference that exists with the antivirus is that the latterdoes not take into account pre-assigned security protocols, but is dedicated to the analysis of malware according to their database and then erase them of the computer. You can install a antivirus and a firewall in any node that is part of a network or they can be placed directly in a router.

List of the best antivirus you should know to protect your computer

List of the best antivirus you should know to protect your computer

We will present below the best antivirus you can have to protect your computer, the one that best suits your needs:

AVG

It is free to download and has the maximum protection against spyware, viruses and hackers. You will be able to configure the camera of your computer so that it is always protected so that intruders cannot access it, since it has powerful elements to erase ransomware. Further, You will have real-time functions that will allow you to keep your PC cleanIt will remove adware and bloatware quickly and efficiently.

It will also make the laptop battery last much longer. The type of encryption you use is 256-bit AES. It is available for Windows, MacOS and Linux And, if you prefer, you can access a premium account in which you will have additional server services VPN and special business tools.

Download AVG Windows

Download AVG MacOS

Avast

It is one of the best antivirus that exists today. People who have downloaded this software for free have the highest level of security on their computers. This is because the tools you have achieve very effective real-time analysis. In this way, viruses, spyware, worms and adware are removed immediately.

You should be aware that the performance of your computer will not be altered at any time, since the antivirus design manages not to affect the RAM memory nor the processor. It is available for all major PC operating systems. So, if you want you can download its free version or pay an annual bill. In this way, you will be able to access more functions detecting other types of malware.

Download Avast Windows

Download Avast MacOS

Kaspersky

This powerful antivirus you can use it at home or in your company, since the tools available to detect all current viruses, as well as spyware and any other malware instantly. It is compatible with Linux, MacOS and Windows and you can choose a free and a paid version. You will be able to obtain analysis of removable usb sticks and post files in no time.

In this way, you will have protected your computer at all times. Among the most outstanding functions of this antivirus is that of cleaning to improve team performance. If you are looking for a serious and efficient antivirus Kaspersky is ideal, since it has more than 20 years of experience and permanently receiving the most recognized awards from experts in cybercrime.

Download Kaspersky Windows

Download Kaspersky MacOS

Avira

This software It will allow you to protect your searches that you carry out on the Internet and analyze the downloads of programs that you want to install on your computer. In this way, you will have a powerful ally to protect your personal data and those of your family. It has a free version and an annual subscription in which you will enjoy a VPN server to avoid geolocation of your computer.

Also, you are going to be able block ads and increase the performance of your teamsince you can delete junk files that prevent better work from the processor and ram memory. It is available for Windows and security experts consider him as one of the more efficient antivirus that exist today.

Download Avira Windows

Windows Native Antivirus

We leave for the last one an antivirus that is native to Windows operating system. This program it comes pre-installed on Microsoft OS, so you will not have to take any action to obtain this very useful tool. You must take into account that you will need to update permanently the operating system.

This will make Windows Defender detect spyware, worms, viruses and any other malware. you may have in email, internal folders or in the pen drive. From the moment that you turn on the pc, you will have a full security level and you will be able to access different periodic reports that it makes so that you can detect some dangerous sources that you use without knowing the risk they have.