Thread: What is AntiVirus

An antivirus is the first layer of protection that you can install on your Pc. There are literally hundreds of antivirus solutions available out there. Some of the biggest names are obviously paid solutions such as Norton, Symantec, Kaspersky and McAfee. However, in the free realm there are solutions available too. Free solutions include packages such as Avira AntiVir Personal, AVG and Avast.
When choosing antivirus software, you need to ask yourself these questions:

Does the antivirus solution have internet updates?

Most antivirus solutions worth their while have a virus definition database that is constantly updated. The anitvirus software then connects to this database and downloads the latest virus definitions and signatures. This way, it is prepped and ready with information on how to fight the newest baddies of the virus world

Is it easy on system resources?


Antivirus software has to be in an 'always on' state to provide you with constant and continuous protection. Any AV application ads itself to the list of processes that are constantly running in the background.

This consumes resources reducing the overall system resources available to you to run other applications. You wouldn't want an antivirus that slows down your PC to a snails pace. Some applications such as the Norton AV, although popular and effective, are notorious for being heavy on the system.

Is the detection rate satisfactory?

An antivirus is after all only as good as the number of viruses it is able to detect. There are independent third party organisations that test the detection rate of AV products. ' According to leading authorities on the subject, your antivirus must have a detection rate that is as high as possible. In fact, in a report by AV-Comparatives, Avira Premium has the highest overall detection rate of 99.6 per cent. Since no AV offers total (100 per cent) protection, this brings the question of whether one should bother having an AV at all. The answer is quite simple - Yes! The premise is to do your best. Implement other security procedures and tools that will help in cases where malware makes it past your anti-virus defences. We'll talk about these fire fighting measures later on in the workshop.

Most antivirus solutions are single-click applications that are self configured in the best possible way. This means they are easy to use for average users. What you should know is that if you use multiple AV : solutions it may not offer you the proportionate increase in protection. In fact, it is likely to cause conflicts. Also, remember to keep your virus database up-to-date.

Some antivirus providers, even the free ones will often include another class of security application such as anti-spyware, or rootkit checker. These may also prove to be advantageous, but remember to disable them if you are using standalone solutions for each of those purposes.