The growth of computer systems and technology has been immense and thanks to this, a large number of programs have emerged that simplify the day-to-day development of its users. However, despite the remarkable efforts made by security agencies and software development companies, viruses remain in them .
Thus, malicious programs are still a threat to all users, since they can cause damage to their private information, as well as their devices. Taking into account that, there is still no solution with the ability to eradicate the scourge of malware and its fearsome consequences on computers and devices.
However, although there is no definitive repair of this, you can make use of other alternatives that allow you to execute your tasks with relative security and freely surf the Internet. Thus, the most effective alternative, are the antivirus available for all devices and then we detail all the information regarding this.
Index:
What is an antivirus and how do these computer programs work?
For many years, viruses and malware, like all threats of this kind; They stalk Internet users and can contract in different ways, taking into account that can be introduced into your computers or devices in a sophisticated and treacherous way . But, in order to avoid this, the famous computer antivirus came up.
In this sense, an antivirus can be defined as a set of programs that show the ability to protect your computer, mobile or tablet; of any damage that a malicious software, program or application may cause. Thus, this name has its origin in the fact that it is a tool designed to combat computer viruses , originally .
Now, beyond managing to combat these viruses and eliminate them, the antivirus also is responsible for the maintenance of the operating systems and covers countless functions, at present. Taking into account that, today, they are advanced solutions with all the power to detect any malware , such as: Trojans, worms, keyloggers, adware, spyware, etc.
On the other hand, regarding its operation, the antivirus works in the background checking each file that opens on the computer or device where they are installed. Thus, it proceeds to compare these files with a database that contains all types of existing viruses, to know if there are any of these threats, in a highly efficient way.
In addition to this, the antivirus also takes care of scanning the entire hard drive of the computers and that way, they are very useful for repairing a computer that is already infected and detect properly, what is the fault .
What are the most important features that an antivirus program should have ?
Now, although there are plenty of antivirus solutions on the market, not all of them are as effective. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account the most relevant characteristics that an antivirus must exhibit when choosing it, so that it manages to do a good job, detecting and avoiding all the variety of viruses and malware that occur >.
Here are the main and most essential features of an antivirus program:
- Ability to detect and react to a new virus : An optimal antivirus should not be limited only to the detection of some types of malicious programs, that is, it is important that you achieve Search and exterminate any kind of threat that comes your way.
- Ensure real-time protection : Given that computers are online all the time, it is valuable that antivirus can protect you from any threat in real time and not only when it is you who orders the action to be taken.
- Systematic update : Although not everyone has this function, the truth is that there are already many solutions with the ability to update systematically, in order to provide you with complete and optimal assistance.
- You must have verification options : Verify that the antivirus you are going to use can be configured to perform verification It’s deep and fast at the same time. Additionally, it must offer you options of places for scanning.
- A minimum memory utilization : In order that the other activities can be executed normally even if the antivirus is in operation, it is important that the solution in question uses little memory and that it works in the background without revealing any problems.
- Email protection : The best virus protection software and malware, must be integrated into email administrator programs, in order to prevent users from being contaminated with threats contained in the messages received.
Other features of interest
- Minimum detection of false positives or false viruses.
- Creation of emergency or rescue discs.
- Boot verification and possible changes in the application registry .
- Great disinfection capacity.
- Alert about a possible infection through the different routes of entry, such as: Internet, email, network and / or floppy disks.
- Presence of different detection and analysis methods.
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Is it really best and most useful to use an antivirus? Advantages and disadvantages of doing it
On the other hand, much has been questioned about the use of antivirus on computers and for that reason, users do not know if it is really useful to use this computer security tool or not. Before this doubt, it should be noted that it is considered helpful to use an antivirus, currently; although also depends on the case .
In that sense, if it is a personal computer that is only used by its owner and no other person has access to it, the requirement of antivirus software is not so important . Well, it will simply be necessary if the owner’s use habits request it.
Thus, it will be more relevant for the person to make responsible use of the equipment and avoid infecting the system with malware. But, in case you have irresponsible browsing habits and don’t take into account certain parameters to stay safe from these threats, installing a virus will be extremely decisive and indispensable .
For its part, it is valuable to note that, if the case is based on a shared computer , the use of an antivirus will be a totally essential rule. Since, not all users will perform the same tasks or have the same knowledge about computer security to prevent virus infection. So that, to avoid any risk, the installation of an optimal antivirus is more than useful .
Advantages
Among other things, to better interpret the usefulness of antivirus software, it is worth specifying what are the advantages they reveal, mainly .
Then, the most valuable:
- Ensures virus protection and thus prevents threats such as Trojans, malware and spyware from entering; on your computer or device.
- It offers protection against identity theft , so it can prevent the illegal use of personal identity to commit crimes.
- They reveal great comfort , since you won’t have to worry about the safety of your equipment. Taking into account that, with the appropriate antivirus activated and working you will simply receive a notification that will expose that a virus has been detected and will ask you if you want to remove it.
- There are very cheap and even free antivirus solutions So, they allow you to save money while protecting you.
- Many antivirus provide parental control and thanks to that, you can protect the little ones in the house by monitoring how much time is spent online and limiting downloads or sites they can visit, for example.
Disadvantages
However, the use of an antivirus is not always as effective as it seems and for that reason, it is necessary to know what are the main disadvantages or cons that exhibit this type of tools : p >
- Having antivirus software installed with multiple detection methods is not enough. Therefore, these tools do not protect you completely .
- In several cases, these programs can decrease the performance of your computer or network , since many use a significant amount of memory on the computer and hard disk space, so they end up slowing down the system.
- Some antivirus software may not use all existing detection methods and because of that, reveal limited detection techniques and, consequently, they will not be able to locate all the threats that access the computer.
- A large variety of these solutions does not have a real-time analysis , so its operation can be very tedious for users and will not offer complete coverage in terms of security.
- It is likely that several antivirus will present errors and indicate malicious files when they really aren’t ; thus showing a lousy operation.
Types of antivirus How are these software classified? span >
Additionally, it is also appropriate to identify what are all types of antivirus that exist and with that, specify how these security tools are classified.
Next, we announce each of the types of antivirus, according to several aspects, with its main features :
According to your category
One of the classifications of antivirus software is based on the category or condition they reveal, which is linked to their way of acting and the place where it is installed :
- Active antivirus : Although this program cannot exercise constant protection, it runs and works based on some kind of action continuously.
- Passive antivirus : Although it is always installed on your computer, it does not show permanent operation or protection.
- Offline antivirus : It is installed on the computer, mainly, for its protection and also for the detection of threats and to suppress any malicious application.
- Online antivirus : It carries out the analyzes directly from the Internet, since it is not installed on the computer . Thus, it is used only to find out if there are any viruses on the computer.
According to its function
Due to the various functions with which these programs can fulfill in their struggle to identify any computer threat and suppress it, are also classified according to their mission: p >
- Detectors : They notify users of the presence of a known virus. But, it is only the user who can solve the problem to end the present infection.
- Eliminators-repairers : Its objective is based on eliminating threats from the affected parts of the system and in addition to that, they manage to repair the computer to return it to normal.
- Heuristics : They are a kind of simulator, because they are responsible for faking the execution of programs in order to to be able to see how they behave and from it, identify suspicious situations.
- Immunizers : They have the ability to anticipate the entry or attack of any malicious program. In this way, they are responsible for monitoring the execution of applications, copying the files and formatting the disks.
- Residents : Its main function is to analyze the software from the first moment. in which the user accesses it and with it, examines if the file contains virus or not.
According to your specific objective
This classification is based on the specific tools that are part of each antivirus solution, especially in its full versions to prevent specific threats .
Next, the types that exist:
- Antimalware : This is a program that has the necessary functions to block and erase any form of existing malware. Bearing in mind that, malware is malicious programs that infiltrate computers to quickly damage them.
- Firewall or Firewall : These are preventive tools that act as a defense wall to block the access of malicious programs to a system. Its most special objective is to control incoming and outgoing traffic, as well as stopping all mysterious activities.
- Antispam : It is defined as a utility used to prevent arrival of any junk mail to your email inbox and send them to the recycle bin. These types of emails are also known as assertspam†.
- Antispyware : They have the ability to detect and suppress spyware programs that are installed in a way hidden in your computer, in order to know all the user’s browsing habits and other personal data to proceed to transmit them to an un empowered entity.
- Antipop-ups : Identify and prevent the execution of pop-up windows that are displayed when you browse the network. Which, often hide spyware.
According to your purpose
Finally, we refer to this category of the types of antivirus there are. Taking into account that, in this case, the program has certain possibilities to liquidate a certain virus :
- Antivirus identifiers : As the name implies, they are responsible for identifying threats that can negatively influence the performance of the operating system. Therefore, its functionality consists in exploring said system and examining the byte sequences of the codes linked to dangerous software.
- Antivirus preventer : Its peculiarity is based on anticipating infection to prevent access of a malicious program on the computer. However, since they are stored in the computer’s memory, they can slow down the operation of the computer and therefore are not so used.
- Antivirus decontaminators : They are focused on put an end to the infection that has caused the damage of the computer and for this reason, they are responsible for eliminating the existing viruses to return the system to its natural state.
What is the most powerful and safest antivirus in the world today?
Without a doubt, the best antivirus is the one that provides the most complete functions and truly effective tools with which ensures complete system security , so that your device can be kept free of virus. But, although most computer security solutions promise this, there are very few antivirus software that truly offers good and complete assistance.
In this sense, although it is not easy to classify a single antivirus as the best among the hundreds of proposals on the market, there is certainly one of them that shows a remarkable capacity and today, you can consider as the most optimal antivirus of all .
Thus, it is Windows Defender that has all the tools required to fight viruses and threats, from one of the best bases of virus definitions and, in addition, in real time.
Among other reasons why it is considered an excellent antivirus, it is because it is an alternative that does not bother the user at all, because it runs in the background and does not interrupt its tasks and actions with messages or pop-ups . Likewise, Windows Defender uses few system resources (such as RAM and CPU) and thus does not interfere with the other activities carried out on the computer.
Are free antivirus really 100% free or hide something?
One of the biggest doubts that Internet users have about antivirus programs is regarding their freeness ; since it is considered strange and suspicious to receive complete security assistance without paying absolutely and even more, within the world of computing.
In this sense, it is necessary to emphasize that, in the level of antivirus, there is no criterion that something can be delivered for nothing . Therefore, free antivirus programs are not really free.
In this way, the companies that develop antivirus solutions design their programs with the purpose of admitting their download and installation without the user not spending money on it, which actually end up paying it in some way >.
Well, even if people are not fully aware, when they accept the antivirus terms and conditions, they are allowing the company to sell the data to companies that are dedicated to advertising , that is, navigation and tracking data (not personal information).
This means that, when acquiring an antivirus “free” , a kind of contract for the provision of a service is created in which, due to the fact of obtaining antivirus protection, you will have to pay a price based on receiving advertising on the web , which is oriented under the criteria of your browsing data.
Thus, an acceptable cost , given that they will not use your personal information at any time; unless it is a solution of doubtful origin.
In which operating systems can we install protectors against malware on our equipment? ?
Even if you don’t believe it, it is not possible to install antivirus or malware protectors on all operating systems and given this clarification, most users will be wondering in what OS they can use such computer solutions to protect your equipment and of course, protect your personal information.
Thus, we note that all users of Windows, Linux, Mac and Android have optimal alternatives to install on their computers, smartphones or tablets in order to avoid or eliminate any possible virus.
Whether through softwares or free or paid applications. Taking into account that, on the contrary, the renowned Apple operating system, known as iOS, does not allow the installation of these tools on their computers and the reason for this, we let you know, to continued.
Is there no antivirus for iOS?
Certainly, there is no antivirus for iPhone and iPad, since Apple does not accept antivirus applications in the App Store . This, because they ensure that the iOS platform designed by Apple has a very secure core, from which they claim that this operating system is 100% infallible and for that reason, it does not require any antivirus.
In that sense, despite being classified as an extremely arrogant statement by the company, it is worth accepting that truly said Apple operating system is designed to be safe in its entirety .
Mainly, thanks to its apps running in their own “sandbox” or secure environments that isolate those applications and keep them away from the data of others, in order to prevent them from corrupting the files hosted on the OS.
Therefore, it is guaranteed that no iOS application will be able to compromise or usurp any user data , since it will not be able to exit its own “sandbox” . Being this, one of the most useful and best strategies in terms of security in the world of computing.