How does antivirus software work and protect our PC?
If this is on your mind, you are at the right place. Here we will discuss how antivirus programs work, their benefits and which the best antivirus tool is for your PC.
Antivirus software as we all knows helps keep data safe from cybercriminals. They have been around nearly as long as viruses that call for their use. This software checks the web pages, files, folders, software, applications, connected devices, and each part of the system for infections. When a threat is detected the antivirus or security tool running on the system blocks and removes it from the system. This gives the user peace of mind, as the computer virus designed to damage and infiltrate the operating system is taken care of by the antivirus you are using.
But how does antivirus software work?
How Does Antivirus Work?
Virus vs antivirus is a never-ending cat and mouse race, hence understanding how antivirus detects computer viruses is a good idea.
Viruses are no different than a normal software program. They operate similarly; however, their intent is not genuine.
Computer viruses are designed to harm your system and steal data. They contain a signature (fingerprint) that sets them apart from other genuine programs running on the system, and this makes them unique, and recognizable as a threat by the antivirus software.
Antivirus software to identify a file as genuine or infected scans the signature of each file. When a malicious pattern stored in the database is detected, the file is flagged as malicious. This is one way of detecting malicious files. But, what about the latest viruses, details of which are not yet added to the database?
To overcome this problem, antivirus programs use heuristic detection. This means instead of depending on one signature they combine related ones and detect threats. Alongside, antivirus software also uses sandboxing. This means the antivirus software will run the file or software that is considered malicious and will observe its behavior. If anything, different from normal is detected it is classified as an infected file.
Signs your System is infected.
- Slow system performance
- Frequent crashes
- Data loss
- Unable to connect to the internet or open files
What does antivirus software protect us from?
- Spyware – information-stealing threats.
- Computer Virus – unwanted programs that enter the system without the user’s knowledge; replicate themselves thus affecting the system’s performance and user data.
- Worms – a type of malware that replicates itself without human interaction and causes damage without attaching itself to a software program.
- Adware – known as advertisement-supported software are distributed within the software or force users to install additional software to earn money.
- Phishing Attacks – it is a type of social engineering attack, used to steal user data, including credit card numbers, login credentials.
- Malware – short for malicious software is an umbrella term for viruses, worms, trojans, and other nasty threats that harm the system and its functioning.
- Trojans – a type of malware that disguises as legitimate software.
Besides, there are other types of threats like keyloggers, smishing, etc from which an antivirus protects us.
Is Microsoft Defender not good enough for your PC?
Well, to some extent Microsoft Defender does a good job. But to what extent no one knows. Certainly, over the years Microsoft has made improvements to its security tool, once regarded as poor is now much better. But can we rely on it to keep the system safe? Is it better than third-party antivirus apps like Systweak Antivirus – today’s popular security tool for Windows?
When it comes to free antivirus tools, Microsoft Defender is a much stronger contender, than it was in the past. But when compared with paid antivirus tools, there are still caveats. The security tool that fully integrates with Windows 10, lacks some essential features like web protection, real-time protection & scanning, exploit protection, and more.
Therefore, if you are looking for a security tool that offers all-round protection, try Systweak Antivirus -an affordable security solution that offers real-time protection scans startup items for threats. Nonetheless, it also offers an ad blocker that you can install as an extension and stay away from intrusive ads.
Information – When the SmartScreen filter offered by Microsoft’s browser Edge was put under the microscope it failed to block phishing sites. It’s disappointing because phishing attacks are rising and are commonly used to steal financial and personal information. With that said, if you are looking for the best way to protect your data, we recommend using Systweak Antivirus.
The downside of Windows Defender
While Windows Defender is a near to perfect security tool, yet it fails to offer –
- No VPN
- Ad Blocker for other browsers
- Password Manager
Most importantly, its database is not updated regularly and sometimes it has been found blocking genuine processes from running.
Systweak Antivirus – Best Alternative to Microsoft’s Windows Defender
Relatively new when compared with popular names like Norton, McAfee, and others, Systweak Antivirus has managed to make its name. This security tool in every aspect is better than Windows Defender. It has higher threat detection rates, better web protection, ad blocker extension, and more.
Moreover, when a user tries to access any malicious site on any browser, Systweak Antivirus blocks it and shows an alert message.
Systweak Antivirus includes:
- Real-time protection
- Malware protection
- Exploit protection.
- Web protection
- Firewall protection
Also, it gives the option to download and install a VPN and a Password Manager essential tools that help add an extra layer of security.
How to use Systweak Antivirus?
To use Systweak Antivirus and protect your PC from threats like malware, virus, spyware, keyloggers, and others follow the steps below:
1. Download and install Systweak Antivirus.
2. Run the best antivirus tool to scan the system for infections.
3. Click the Scan Types option from the left pane to select the scanning mode.
The tool offers three scanning modes –
- Quick Scan – scans critical system areas for infections
- Deep Scan – scans folders, subfolders, and all the parts for threats. It is time-consuming.
- Custom Scan – gives users an option to select areas to scan that takes a much longer time than Quick Scan.
Pick any to scan the system for threats.
Note: Deep Scan is in-depth, thorough & time-consuming. Therefore, we recommend using it when the system is in an idle state.
4. Wait for the scan to finish.
5. Systweak Antivirus will now list all the infected files.
6. To clean detected infections click Protect Now. This will Quarantine detected threats.
7. Once the infections are clean, you will see a threat result summary.
8. Click Finish and restart the system to apply changes.
That’s it using these simple steps you can keep your system secure. Also note, Systweak Antivirus to offer real-time protection runs in the background without interfering with any process. Unlike other security tools, it is light on system resources and its database definition does not take space on the system.
That’s why it is a recommended security tool. Overall, Systweak Antivirus is a well-designed antivirus tool with an excellent and advanced malware scanner. With an impressive detection rate, this antivirus software for Windows is a must-try.
We hope you will give it a try. Do share your feedback and suggestions in the comments section. If you have any product related question, feel free to send an email at email@example.com