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The alarming proliferation of malware and cyber attacks, reported almost daily in the news, has generated not only greater awareness of antivirus software but plenty of questions about it as well. One of these questions, ‘What antivirus do I need?’, is one of the most frequently-asked questions, and for a good reason. Knowing which antivirus you need is the first step toward protecting your privacy, With that in mind, below is a checklist of the key features to look for in antivirus software.

**Real-time malware detection and removal.** This is one of the most important features of any antivirus software as it scans and checks, in real-time, everything you download, looking for viruses and malware. When malware is detected, the infected file is either removed or quarantined.

**Automatic virus updates.** One way that antivirus or antimalware software detect malware in your computer’s files and programs is by scanning them and checking their ‘signatures’ against a database of known malware signatures. Accordingly, anti-malware companies periodically update their signature database with new malware signatures. Your antivirus software should be automatically updated whenever this signature database is updated so that new virus signatures will also be detected.

**Multi-layer protection**. In addition to real-time protection, which detects known viruses, antivirus software also needs to be able to detect new and emerging threats. For this, behavioral and heuristic detection methods are used. Behavioral detection analyzes the behavior of programs and files looking for behavior that might be suspicious and indicative of malware, and heuristic detection looks for atypical commands or instructions in applications that might be indicative of malware. In this way, these methods are able to detect previously unknown malware.

**A high detection rate.** Antivirus software should have a 100% detection rate when malware is present on your system. This may vary depending upon whether scanning is done online or offline, but anything less than 100% leaves your computer vulnerable

**Safe browsing technology**. Your antivirus should also protect you from navigating to malicious URLs or websites where hackers try to steal and use your personal and private information.

**Email protection**. According to cyberdefensemagazine.com, 91% of cyber attacks are launched with a phishing email. Your antivirus software should be able to secure your email correspondence and prevent confidential information from falling into the wrong hands by detecting and blocking email threats.

And finally, make sure your antivirus software is easy to install and has a light footprint so that there is negligible impact on your computer’s performance.

While antivirus software features vary between brands, and between paid and free versions, the checklist above can be used as a guide to help you better understand which antivirus you need. If you can check off all of the statements above, then you know you have the right antivirus protection.

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While there is no quick way to answer which antivirus is better, there are at least some guidelines you can follow to help you determine which antivirus is better for you. Just bear in mind that different programs have different features and different detection methods. There are also differences between free and paid versions. In general, though, here is a rundown of what your antivirus software should include at a minimum:

**A high detection rate for malware and other threats**. While detection rates can vary depending upon whether the virus scans were done online or offline, antivirus or antimalware software should generally have a 100% detection rate when there is malware present. Anything less than that means a tiny crack has been left open for malware to infect your computer.  
**All-inclusive protection**. Your antivirus software should protect you not just from different types of malware, such as ransomware, spyware, Trojans, trackers, viruses, and more, but also from malicious emails, malicious downloads, and malicious URLs.  
**Real-time protection.** Real-time protection is one of the most important features of any antimalware program. With real-time protection, your computer is checked for malicious activity in real-time. In other words, whenever data is downloaded on your computer or anytime you try to access a file that is already on your computer, your antivirus software should check the files for malware before the data is accessed or the file executed.  
**A low impact on system resources.** Your antivirus software should be running in the background and have a minimal effect on your computer’s performance and responsiveness. Active scans should also have minimal impact on your PC’s performance.  
**Automatic updates.** Hackers are always creating new malware and whenever they do, antivirus software companies must analyze the malware code and update their antivirus software so that it provides protection against the new malware. Your antivirus should automatically update to the latest protection versions.  
**Automatic security scans.** The better antivirus software should automate the antimalware scans as well as give you the option to schedule the antimalware scans yourself.  
**An easy-to-use interface**. Antivirus software should be intuitive to use and make it easy for you to navigate to its different menus, settings, tabs, and windows.

Every good antivirus should, at the very least, have the features described above, but many vendors offer elements that go beyond basic security such as camera and microphone protection, password managers, firewalls and more. Some of these features come with free versions and some only with the subscription versions. At the end of the day, however, the best antivirus software for you will also depend upon individual needs such as whether you want antivirus protection for home or business, who will be using the systems, and what your budget will be.

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#Identity theft

What antivirus do I need?

Which antivirus is better?

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