Antivirus – What is it and How Does it Work?
Antivirus is software that helps prevent, scan, detect and remove malware, including viruses, from a computer. It also protects against other threats such as Trojan horses, spyware and worms, and often offers additional security features like customizable firewalls and website blocking.
Modern antivirus programs have evolved from the first widespread virus outbreak that occurred on pre-personal computers platforms in the 1970s and spread through infected floppy disks in 1982 with a program called Elk Cloner. These early viruses were relatively simple and used a series of commands that acted in concert to damage, overwrite, or corrupt files. Today, malware is so sophisticated that experts estimate a new instance of malicious code is created every second. Conventional antivirus solutions are no longer enough to keep pace.
To counter the new threats, antivirus providers have developed and implemented next-generation methodologies that combine global scanning, human expert threat analysis, industry collaboration, cloud integration, and heuristic detection with behavioral detection, sandboxing and machine learning. These advanced detection techniques help address zero-day attacks, drive-by downloads, phishing exploits, malware attachments, and other emerging cyberthreats.
When selecting an antivirus solution, consider the detection rates, scanning capabilities, user-friendly interface and customer support offered by each vendor. It is important to find a solution that can run automatic or manual scans on internal and external devices, provides updates of virus definitions frequently, and can perform full system scans quickly. A good antivirus solution will inform you if a specific piece of malware has been detected and ask if you would like to allow or block it from entering your device.