What is Antivirus and How Does It Work? Know Everything Here

Do you want to prevent your files, data, and system from getting corrupted, stolen, or destroyed? Download antivirus software now! If you wonder what antivirus software is and how it protects your system, read the post till the end. 

This post will tell you about the benefits of downloading antivirus software and why you should only consider downloading top antivirus software in your system. Check everything about antivirus software here and prevent your system from different computer viruses such as malware, virus, and worm. You will also learn about the difference between these three terms to make your doubts clear.

What is Antivirus Software?

We always hear about new sorts of viruses, malware, or worms designed to destroy or obtain information stored in our computers. Sadly, some of us have experienced it some other time. Fortunately, antivirus software is designed to protect our system from these unwanted attacks. Let’s know what antivirus software is. 

Antivirus software is the program installed on your system to prevent, scan, detect, and delete the virus. The most comprehensive antivirus software program helps protect your computer systems, networks, IT systems, and files from malware, worms, trojan horses, and spyware. It may also offer additional protection, such as customizable firewalls and website blocking. 

What is the difference between Malware, Virus, and Worm?

While these terms can be used interchangeably, you may wonder what their meaning is. Let’s begin: 

Virus- Virus is a piece of code capable of corrupting the system or destroying the data. 

Malware- Aka Malicious software is a broad term used to refer to viruses, worms, trojan horses, ransomware, rootkits, spyware, keyloggers, adware, and other viruses. It is designed to disrupt normal computers, or mobile phones, gather information, get access to private computers and even show private advertising. 

Worm- It replicates itself so it often spreads to other computers via networks. It causes harm to the network by attacking the system usually when security fails. 

So this is the basic difference between Virus, Malware, and Worm. 

How Does Antivirus Software Work?

Once installed, the antivirus software runs in the background of the system to detect, scan, delete and prevent the various information from being stolen, corrupted, and all possible risks. The best antivirus software also restricts the spread of viruses and have a stronghold on security 

of the system. 

In today’s advanced age, hackers are better equipped with the tools and tricks to hack networks and systems and access user’s data. Most antivirus software is successful in preventing cybercrime and malware threats. They identify the hackers, modify the code and perform the same test until malware gets detected.  

This is how the best antivirus software works. 

Features of Antivirus Software

The best antivirus software offers the following features;

  • Background Scanning- Antivirus software runs in the background and scans all the applications, files, and programs. This process is called on-access scanning. It completely protects the system from threats and other malware attacks.  
  • System Scan- When antivirus software is installed on the system, it becomes indispensable to scan the entire computer to ensure there are no malware infections hiding behind the codes. 
  • Virus Definition- The function of the antivirus software is to recognize if the file/program is genuine or malware intended. This is the main reason to archive the new virus definition. 

To protect the system with the most recent malware strain, it is extremely vital to install top antivirus software that gets timely updates and provides guaranteed security. If you don’t know which is the best antivirus software, you can consider either of these Top Antivirus Software 2021; Norton 360, Bitdefender Total Security, McAfee Total Protection, Intego, and TotalAV. 

Types of Antivirus Programs 

All antivirus programs are not developed for all operating systems. Following are the different antivirus software-

  • Windows Antivirus Software – This antivirus software runs on the Windows operating system. It has two versions: free and paid. Free version antivirus software won’t protect against links to malicious websites or malicious attachments on emails. Whereas the premium version includes secure online storage, ad blockage, and file encryption.  
  • macOS Antivirus Software – This is the less common antivirus software. There are a number of free and paid products, providing on-demand protection against malware threats through a full system. 
  • Android Antivirus Software – Android Antivirus software is the famous and most installed software among all. It is installed on Android devices and protects the system from malicious attacks. 

We tried to include everything about antivirus software to help you get a better insight into it. Hopefully, you understand the significance of antivirus software and download the best one to your system for utmost protection. 

By Anurag Rathod

Anurag Rathod is an Editor of Appclonescript.com, who is passionate for app-based startup solutions and on-demand business ideas. He believes in spreading tech trends. He is an avid reader and loves thinking out of the box to promote new technologies.