Better Information Retention

 

 Antivirus Program

An antivirus program is software that identifies and removes computer viruses from a computer. There are many types of antivirus programs, but most of them run in the background to alert and/or remove a virus. Most anti-virus software has stopped attacking adware, spyware, and other kinds of malware.

Antivirus software (along with an updated operating system) can be expensive or difficult to install on old computers or laptops. In some cases, it may not be possible for users to update their operating systems to protect against new viruses without upgrading the hardware as well.

Virus scanning, virus protection, or antivirus software may also be a part of firewall software.

The first known antivirus program was written by Fred Cohen in 1987 and was called "PC-Cillin". In the same year, another soon followed called F-Prot. The first commercial antivirus program came out in 1991 from McAfee. Other companies such as Symantec, Sophos and AVG have released their own versions in the years since.

Running an anti-virus program is the most important step in protecting your computer from viruses on your computer. The latest anti-virus programs are able to detect and remove over 200 different kinds of viruses that try to attack your computer.

An anti-virus or anti-malware program must run in the background all the time so it can monitor and update your computer for any new viruses. You must install and keep an updated anti-virus program on your computer anytime you use it and whenever you add a new piece of hardware to your computer. But even with an up-to-date anti-virus program, it may not be enough to protect you from a virus. 

Even if the latest version of your anti-virus software is installed on your computer, there is no guarantee that it will catch all of the viruses that are out there. Some anti-virus software makers have been accused of adding fake malware to their software to prevent users from purchasing other software. Also, some anti-virus software has turned out to be spyware itself. Fake anti-virus programs called scareware try to trick a user into paying for useless software or services by threatening to infect their computer with viruses.

Viruses are not the only type of malware that can infect your computer. Spyware, adware, and trojans are among the other things that can put your computer at risk for personal information leakage or cyberattacks. Unfortunately, there are no reliable computer scans that detect spyware or adware on your computer. Therefore, it is important to keep that software updated and delete any unwanted programs from your computer.

Some people install anti-virus programs on their computers without realizing what else they are installing. Some installers offer free anti-virus software when you get a browser toolbar or other software for their other products. These kinds of programs are usually a "crapware" program or may be marketing spyware or other types of malware instead of legitimate security software. Make sure you read the privacy policy and terms and conditions before installing any software on your computer.

If you have a smartphone, you may be able to get an application for your phone that can protect it from malware. A recent Google study found that a lot of Android phones have a security program installed on it, but in reality their security is not even close to being up to date. Although it has not yet been proved that security programs have viruses themselves, they should at least be up-to-date. 

The antivirus program should also be using the most recent definitions when scanning your computer for viruses. This will help to prevent false-positives that cause your computer to be scanned in the background or when you are using it. Some antivirus software will launch a scan as soon as you turn on your computer, or some things can cause the antivirus software to scan your computer in the background without warning.

However, this has become a controversial topic. While definition files should be up-to-date in order to prevent false positives, many users believe that an antivirus program should detect and remove malware, not just prevent infection by installing definitions and performing scans. Some spyware would be difficult for an anti-virus program to detect because the program runs in the background without user interaction.

Another controversial point is that in the vast majority of cases, the computer virus definitions that anti-virus software firms update are doing little more than adding to their profit margins, as they have already been widely available in various public forums. 

Some programs may actually cause your computer to run more slowly. These types of programs can take up RAM or CPU power for no reason at all if they are not being used. If you have one of these programs running in the background, it can be monitoring your computer while you are using other programs or surfing the internet. These kinds of programs can also use system resources and add adware to your computer which can display ads on a webpage when you surf online.

Even if your computer has a lot of RAM, an anti-virus program that is scanning the internet all the time may use up some of your system memory. If a virus appears on a webpage you are viewing, the anti-virus program will have to download the definition files for that particular virus and scan all of your files to make sure they are safe after it detects it. All of this takes time and can slow down your computer. This is why many people believe that these types of programs should not be running in the background while you are using other programs or surfing the internet. 

On the other hand, some anti-virus programs may be more resource intensive than others. Of those that are more resource intensive, they may be scanning your computer in the background as you use it and downloading files while they are scanning. This can cause your computer to run a little slower because it is constantly being initiated and then stopping. If you have an antivirus program that is very resource intensive, make sure that you are running a minimum version of Windows to help manage your system memory use and to keep things running nicely on your computer.

In many cases, an anti-virus program will initiate its scan by looking for files that are known to be related to viruses or malware. This may include all .exe programs or other files that accidentally had a virus attached to it. This is why many anti-virus programs will scan your computer for a while and then just run in the background to monitor for viruses. Normally when you are using the internet, this is not much of an issue. It is a problem when you do not want your computer scanned while you are using it or when you don't want the conflicting lists of files that may be false positives downloaded to your computer.

The way that a virus works on a computer can vary from one virus to another. Some viruses are known as "resident viruses" because they take up space in memory until they decide what they want to do with themselves and try to make changes on the computer.

Conclusion

No matter if you have a computer or a smartphone or both, it is important to keep your computer protected from viruses and surveillance. You can protect your computer by using security software, removing any spyware or adware imbedded on your computer by the manufacturer, checking your system regularly for new security programs and installing updates as soon as they are available. Check the privacy policy and terms and conditions before installing anything on your computer because some companies offer installation programs that include adware or other applications that may be undesirable after you install them. Some anti-virus programs do not do much more than just download definitions for viruses and malware instead of scanning your system with an effort to prevent infection by them.