What Is Antivirus and How Does It Work?
Antivirus protects computers, mobile devices and tablets from malware, hackers and cybercriminals. By scanning files, apps, emails and the web, AV software spots known threats and stops them from infecting or damaging devices and networks.
The first antivirus programs, which came out in the 1980s, looked for patterns that could be associated with viruses. As technology developed, antivirus programs became more sophisticated. They now use behavioral detection, machine learning, sandboxing and other next-generation approaches that address zero-day attacks and other emerging threats.
AV software can run in the background to monitor a network, individual computer or other device. Some programs allow you to initiate a scan of a file or an entire system at any time, while others will automatically clean infections in the background. Most modern AV tools offer cloud analysis as well, which allows them to check the behavior of an unknown piece of code on a server operated by the antivirus vendor. If the code is deemed malicious, it’s added to the software’s database and blocked from other devices.
AV programs look for viruses and other types of malware that may be hiding in plain sight, such as spyware, trojans and ransomware. They also detect any attempts to access sensitive data, whether from a single device or an entire network, and will alert you if any changes are made. Some AV software will even tell you if your passwords are being sold on the dark web or have been leaked from a major data breach.