The Internet used to be a place where people can safely accomplish different tasks without fearing anything. This completely changed when some people started to put their noses in other people’s business. With this, viruses and malware attacks are prevalent.
You should know that cybercriminals are skilled and organized not to mention persistent. They use new tactics to exploit the flaws of PCs. More than ever you need security software programs to keep your devices and your information secure. When looking for security software programs, you will come across two things – antivirus and antimalware. These things can be confusing.
You must know the differences so you can identify what is ideal for cyber-attack protection. To help you get started, here’s what you should know about antivirus and antimalware:
What is antivirus software and how does it work?
Before anything, you should understand the nature of the virus. A computer virus is a software that can replicate. It is designed to harm computers as well as information systems. You should understand that it can spread through the Internet either from malicious downloads or infected files and email attachments.
As the name suggests, antivirus software is designed to protect against viruses. With the proliferation of malware, antivirus software started to protect against classic malware like Trojans, keyloggers, backdoors, rootkits, botnets and many more.
Some of the features to look for in antivirus software programs include the following:
- The virus scanning should be done in the background.
- Blocking malicious script files then preventing them from running.
- Heuristic analysis that can identify new variants of viruses and previously known computer viruses.
- Malware removal can get rid of classic malware.
What is antimalware software and how does it work?
Malware, on the other hand, comes with malicious intent. It can be in the form of adware, Trojans, worms, ransomware, virus, and many more. Experts are saying that a virus is considered malware but malware is not a virus.
Antimalware covers greater protection from anti-spyware to anti-spam or phishing. Some of the features to look for in antimalware software programs include the following:
- Removal of known malware like adware, spyware, Trojans, and advanced malware.
- It offers second malware protection.
- Software updates that can identify new threats.
- Traffic filtering that can secure your device by blocking access to infected servers.
- It provides online banking security.
- It features anti-phishing protection that can detect and block scam.
- It provides a malware distribution.
- It protects against sites that are involved in the distribution of malware.
Final words
While antivirus can keep cybercriminals out of your PC and other devices, it just provides limited protection from advanced malware attacks. With this, you should also consider antimalware software programs.
There are many resources like desnav.com to help you choose the right suite but keep in mind that antimalware can give your antivirus a boost thereby enhancing the protection of your devices. At the end of the day, you should consider both security software programs to maximize your security.
