Antivirus – everything you need to know

Today, to have an antivirus installed seems like an obvious thing to do, but do you even know what does this application do? If not, here is everything you should know.

Everyday devices connected to the Internet are in danger of being attacked by some form of threat. Antivirus software is designed to prevent that from happening. The program is usually constantly working in the background preventing, detecting and removing any malware (malicious software) which may pose a threat to any device. The software scan the contents of the Internet for fragments of code unique to malwares and warns the user about a potential threats or blocks and then removes them. The user can also scan the device at any time to see if it has been infected with a virus of any sort and decide what to do with it.

Nowadays, there are many various types of such programs. The most known and dangerous are viruses and trojan horses which can limit the possible actions which may be performed on the device or even destroy files and operating system, as well as collect information from the device without knowledge and permission of its user.. Other threats may not be as devastating, however they can also make life difficult. Slow working programs, spam mails or many obscuring advertisements constantly popping up on every website; it all may be caused by some kind of malware that might have been unintentionally downloaded from the internet.

Most of the time, the device is infected when its user overlooks the additional, unwanted and hidden download of the malware software during some installation process. Usually, the malware is in form of hard-to-remove browser toolbars, download assistants and other useless tools which contribute nothing, but may be very dangerous for safety of infected device. That is why everyone should pay attention what they are downloading and from which website, instead of rushing through  the installation process.

The computer may also be endangered if the system or installed programs (like browsers for example) are not updated. It is very easy for a new malware to bypass the outdated security measures. That is why it is very important to have an antivirus installed on every device possible. Home computer or laptop, private smartphone or a tablet used only for sales enablement app; they are all in danger of being infected by a virus. Nowadays, the access to the variety of different antiviruses is very wide. Usually every operational system has one, but there are also many other, either free or paid. Which one to choose may seem as a highly complicated decision, but if it has a constantly updated malware database it does not really matter. The paid antiviruses are generally believed to be more efficient at finding and removing threats, but sometimes may be more complicated for inexperienced users. For the start it may be smart to use one that is originally installed by the operational system manufacturer or to choose one that is recommended on the blogs and forums. The important factor is also for the user to understand all of the functions of the software. So if you feel lost trying to figure a way to properly use your antivirus, it may be a good sign to change it for something else. In the end, the comfort of usage should be the most important element of every program.