Antivirus software has been around for decades and you might be wondering if you still need it. The answer is yes, you still need antivirus software to protect your internet-connected devices. In the past, antivirus software was necessary to browse the internet safely. However, devices have improved their security measures recently, making antivirus software seem unnecessary. Even though cybersecurity has improved, cyber attacks, specifically malware, are also evolving, which is why you still need antivirus software to protect you online.
There are some devices that don’t need antivirus software such as iPhones. However, other devices are more susceptible to malware attacks such as devices with Windows or Linux operating systems. Investing in good antivirus software will protect your devices while you browse the internet.
Continue reading to learn more about antivirus software, how antivirus software protects your device, the pros and cons of antivirus software and why you still need antivirus software.
What Is Antivirus Software?
Antivirus software is a program that prevents, detects and removes known viruses and malware before they can infect and damage your device. Malware is malicious software cybercriminals install on your device to spy on you and steal your sensitive information. When antivirus software is installed on your device, it constantly scans your computer for any files or programs with indicators or patterns that match the database of known malware. Once it detects malware, the antivirus software will quarantine and remove the malicious file or code before it infects your computer.
Antivirus software can detect malware using the following methods:
- Signature-based detection: Signature-based detection compares files found within the device to a list of known malware and looks for any indicators or signatures within the file’s code that exactly match those from the current list of known malware.
- Heuristic-based detection: Like signature-based detection, heuristic-based detection scans incoming files and programs for known malware, but it looks for indicators along with tendencies and patterns within the file’s code that are similar to malware.
- Behavior-based detection: Behavior-based detection uses machine learning to scan and identify incoming files and programs for any suspicious behavior that may indicate they are malicious. This allows behavior-based detection to identify new malware.
How Does Antivirus Software Protect Your Device?
Antivirus software protects your device by preventing known malware from infecting your device and stealing your private information. Here are a few ways antivirus software protects your device from malware.
Scan files for malware
Antivirus software scans your device for any files or programs with hidden malware. Antivirus software will not just scan files already on your device, but also incoming files. You can have antivirus software schedule scans, manually scan or constantly scan in the background.
Removes malware from your device
If malware infects your device, you can use antivirus software to quarantine it and stop it from damaging your device even further. Once the malware is quarantined, you can remove it from your device. Antivirus software can also detect and remove incoming malware before it is installed on your device.
Limits access to dangerous websites
Some cybercriminals create spoofed websites that impersonate legitimate websites and can install malware on your device when you visit the website. These malicious websites are often used in phishing attacks. With antivirus software, you can limit access to dangerous websites and prevent these malicious websites from installing malware on your device.
Blocks malvertisments
Malvertising, also known as malicious advertising, is when cybercriminals use advertisem*nts to infect a user’s device. With malvertising, malicious code is injected into legitimate ads or fake advertisem*nts are created that look legitimate. Cybercriminals will then display these malicious ads on legitimate websites for users to click on and install malware. Antivirus software blocks malicious ads from displaying on your device.
Detects suspicious behavior
Some antivirus software uses behavior-based detection. With behavior-based detection, antivirus software can detect new and emerging malware that has not existed before. It looks for files or code with suspicious behavior, such as abnormal demands and instructions that may indicate that it is malware.
Advantages of Antivirus Software
Using antivirus software is much more convenient than dealing with the cost of stolen data. Here are the advantages of using antivirus software.
Real-time protection
Antivirus software constantly scans and monitors your device for any incoming files or programs with malware in real-time. It offers real-time protection to detect and remove malware before it can infect your device.
Vulnerability scanning
Some antivirus software offers vulnerability scanning which will scan your device for any vulnerabilities that cybercriminals can exploit. This can only scan for vulnerabilities found within the software and hardware you use, not for any vulnerabilities caused by human error or mismanaged access control.
Automatic updates
If your antivirus software uses signature or heuristic-based detection, it needs to update its database of known malware. To ensure your antivirus software is protecting you from the most up-to-date database of malware, it will automatically update its software to ensure that it can identify all known malware and patch any known security vulnerabilities that cybercriminals could exploit.
Protection against phishing
Antivirus software will protect your device from phishing attempts that try to install malware on your device. Some phishing attacks will try to install malware on your device whenever you click on a malicious attachment or link. If you accidentally click on them, your antivirus software will protect your device if it detects the malware and prevents the malware from installing. However, you should always check the safety of what you are clicking on before you click on it.
Disadvantages of Antivirus Software
Although antivirus software will help you safely browse the internet and protect your device from malware, it has its limitations. Here are the disadvantages of antivirus software.
Slows down system
Antivirus software can constantly run in the background of your device to detect and protect your device from malware. However, having your antivirus software constantly running in the background can require a lot of resources from your device and slow down your system. This can be avoided by scheduling scans or investing in antivirus software that requires fewer resources to run.
Not always effective
Antivirus software is a great cybersecurity solution but it’s not always effective. If it uses signature or heuristic-based detection, it will only protect your device from known malware that is stored in the database. The malware database needs to be constantly updated to ensure your device is protected against new malware. Antivirus software can also falsely flag some of your files or programs that have similarities to malware even though they are safe to use.
Antivirus software will only protect you from malware and can not protect you from other cyber attacks. For example, antivirus software can prevent malware from installing on your device if you click on a malicious attachment or link from a phishing attempt. However, it will not block phishing emails from entering your inbox or phishing attacks that try to trick you into revealing your personal information. It will also not protect your online accounts from password-related attacks and will not encrypt your information online, which cybercriminals can intercept through man-in-the-middle attacks.
Is Antivirus Software All You Need To Stay Safe Online?
Antivirus software can only protect you to a certain extent. You should not solely rely on antivirus software to protect your computer. Antivirus software will not protect you from password-related attacks like credential stuffing and brute force attacks.
To protect against password-related attacks and protect your online accounts, you should use a password manager as part of your cybersecurity strategy to stay safe online. A password manager is a tool that securely stores and manages your passwords in an encrypted digital vault.
You also need to practice good cybersecurity habits to stay safe online. Here are some cybersecurity best practices you should follow:
- Use strong and unique passwords to protect your accounts
- Enable multi-factor authentication on your accounts
- Avoid clicking on suspicious attachments or links
- Keep your software up to date
- Avoid public WiFi
- Regularly back up your data
By following these cybersecurity best practices and investing in cybersecurity solutions such as antivirus software and a password manager, you can browse the internet safely and protect your personal information.
