Cyber Security Essential #3: Antivirus

Why is Antivirus Essential?

Antivirus software helps protect computers against malware and cybercriminals. Antivirus software looks at data – web pages, files, software, applications – traveling over the network to your devices. It searches for known threats and monitors the behavior of all programs, flagging suspicious behavior. It seeks to block or remove malware as quickly as possible.

Antivirus protection is essential, given the array of constantly-emerging cyber threats. If you don’t have protective software installed, you could be at risk of picking up a virus or being targeted by other malicious software that can remain undetected and wreak havoc on your computer and mobile devices.

Necessary Antivirus Capabilities

Real-time Scanning

While all antivirus software is specifically designed to detect the presence of malware, not all of them detect in the same way. Ineffective products force you to run a manual scan to determine if any systems have been affected, while the best forms of software have dynamic scanning features that are repeatedly checking your computer for the presence of malicious entities. Without this feature, it’s much easier for something to infiltrate a device and begin causing damage before you even realize it.

Automatic Updates

Updates are vital for all forms of software, but this is especially true when it comes to antivirus. Because new types of malware are constantly being developed, antivirus software needs frequent updates in order to track and contain new threats that didn’t even exist when it was first installed. If you have to install updates manually, you might miss important new protections and expose your system to infection, so always make sure your antivirus software is capable of installing updates automatically and frequently.

Protection for Multiple Apps

Threats exist across the entire spectrum of applications and services that you rely on for your everyday tasks. From email clients, to your CRM, ERP, and beyond, harmful software can sneak into systems from a variety of different sources. Antivirus programs need to protect multiple vulnerable applications from potential dangers.

Auto-Clean

If the antivirus software immediately detects malicious software, why wouldn’t it delete the code on the spot? Unfortunately, some solutions simply place the malware in a quarantine zone upon detection, waiting for the user to log on and manually delete it. You should choose a program that utilizes an auto-clean feature to rid itself of viruses.

Fights Against All Types of Malware

Between trojans, bots, spyware, viruses, etc., there are many different types of malware that can harm your computer, and antivirus programs are sometimes designed only to target a specific type of software. It’s better to go with a program that can comprehensively detect all forms of malware.