Ever since the first computer was linked to another in a network, anti virus protection has been a necessity for safely operating a computer. This protection usually consists of a software package that is placed on a hard drive after it has been delivered in a download or on a compact disc. Each kind of anti-virus software is different in how it addresses the problems caused by viruses. This software usually also handles other types of malware besides viruses. Other examples of malware include spyware and adware.
Viruses
Most anti virus protection is performed by software packages that search through the executable code on a hard drive in order to detect the signature of a virus. For this reason, anti-virus software usually contains a catalog of all the known signatures of viruses past and present. These catalogs have to be continually updated because the makers of malware are constantly creating new viruses and other software devices designed to infiltrate a computer’s hard drive.
This protection will not help a computer against the newest threats. This is why some anti-virus software also utilizes a heuristic approach to battling malware. These software packages are capable of making more sophisticated analyses of the executable code in a computer. Rather than relying on simple comparisons to a list of known viruses, this sort of anti-virus protection can also identify new malicious codes by comparing them to generic codes. Some of these anti-virus programs can even create a sandbox, which is a safe place within a computer’s memory where the anti-virus software can test a suspicious program to see what it will do. If the malware reveals its true purpose here, the protective software can remove it or destroy it.
Spyware
Besides viruses, there are many other kinds of malware from which computer users need to protect themselves. One example of this malware is spyware. While many traditional viruses are made with the intent to simply destroy or damage a computer, spyware is software that intends no harm to a computer’s functioning. However, this software is far from benign. It plants itself secretly in a computer’s hard drive and monitors the functions of the computer. It can send information back to the person or persons who created it.
Usually this information reveals the online habits of a computer user so that they can be targeted for certain ads or spam. In some cases, spyware will even steal passwords and private data about bank accounts for the creators of this malware to use illegally. Anti-virus software deals with this form of malware in the same way that it addresses viruses. Spyware has become a much greater problem, since its makers can profit much more from this type of malware than they can from simply damaging another computer.
There are some drawbacks to this sort of protection. The software used to battle malware can sometimes misidentify benign programs as malicious and deter them from functioning. Overall, however, anti virus protection of some sort is a necessity for online computer usage
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