Why use Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware?
Computer viruses are a piece of software that enters your computer from the internet or when for example transferring files between computers using a USB flash drive, CD or DVD or by other media that contains files. Additionally, a virus entered your computer system can spread itself throughout your network and infect all other computers and even worse, the servers in your network.
Computer viruses can:
- destroy or delete your files
- encrypt your data making them unusable
- destroy or delete files from your operating system
- affect your computer performance
- affect or destroy your computer hardware
In other words, an anti-virus is a security layer that will increase your protection against lots of known (and sometimes unknown) viruses and bad guys trying to install their malware and Cryptojacking (Cryptojacking is a small piece of code that secretly uses your computing device to mine cryptocurrency) programs onto your laptop or PC or any of your devices.
How can we protect our computers from viruses and spyware?
An Anti-Virus program is a piece of software that you can install on your computer to protect your computer and guard it against computer viruses.
As a general rule, to protect your computer systems from viruses and spyware you need to install an anti-virus and anti-spyware software on every computer that is connected to the network e.g. every computer that is actively used.
Computer spyware and adware are also a piece of software that enters your computer by getting installed through a website, spam email attachment and usually without asking your permission to be installed. Other types of spyware that ask for your permission before installation, by presenting themselves useful and by hiding their real purpose.
Some of the distributors of spyware usually present their programs as useful utilities that you need to install on your computer to increase your computer security or performance!
There are many types of spyware and adware with different level of intrusion and annoyance that include:
- delivery of unsolicited pop-up advertisements
- theft of personal information such as financial information and credit card numbers
- collecting your website browsing activity for marketing purposes
- redirecting you to advertising sites
- reducing your computer responsiveness and performance
Will you be 100% safe if you have an AV installed on your device? Absolutely No!
Here is the thing, let me ask you this: which one of these two options will you take or makes more sense to you?
- Having an Antivirus: So a cyber attacker has one MORE layer of protection to overcome.
- No Antivirus: A cyber attacker does not need to worry about overcoming and passing through any anti-virus layer.
There are many advantages to have an AV with ML (Machine Learning) and AI (Artificial Intelligence) that not only have a database of known threats but also can monitor any suspicious behavior in your system/device and learn things to stop unknown threats.
If your computer is actively used, you need to install an Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware software!
