Anti-virus software is one of the main defences against online problems. It continually scans for viruses, including Trojans and worms. To be effective it must be kept up-to-date.
Why install anti-virus software?
Without anti-virus software you are very vulnerable to computer viruses, including:
- Infected email attachments.
- Drive-by infections caused by visiting corrupt websites.
- Viruses that attack over the internet ('worms').
- Spyware that is introduced by virus infections.
- Viruses that are spread using macros in application documents.
- Depending on the software you use, it may detect some (but not all) spyware.
Being infected by a virus can have very serious consequences including:
- Identity theft.
- Fraud.
- Loss of data.
- A slow or unusable computer.
What anti-virus software does
Anti-virus software covers the main lines of attack:
- It scans incoming emails for attached viruses.
- It monitors files as they are opened or created to make sure they are not infected.
- It performs periodic scans of every file on the computer.
What anti-virus software does NOT do
Anti-virus software will not protect you against:
- Viruses for which it has no signature.
- Programs that you choose to install that may contain unwanted features.
- Most spyware.
- Spam.
- Against any kind of fraud or criminal activity online.
- A hacker trying break into your computer over the internet.
- It is not effective if it is switched off for any reason.
It is less effective (and mostly useless) if it is not kept up-to-date with the latest virus signatures.
A virus signature is like a criminal's mugshot. Each time a new virus is released, security firms analyse it and create a new signature that lets anti-virus software block the new virus.
How to choose anti-virus software
For personal and home office use there are a number of basic choices that you can take to decide which anti-virus software to buy.
Standalone anti-virus or security suite?
Most anti-virus software companies sell a standalone program that only scans for viruses as well as security suite packages that include other protective software such as a firewall, spam filtering, anti-spyware and so on.
Generally the standalone packages cost around £20 and full suites run from £40-50.
Advantages of a suite: a suite should cover all the bases, share a single user interface and be easier and cheaper than buying each individual program separately.
Drawbacks: while the anti-virus component should be good, sometimes the other elements in a suite aren't as good as the best of breed software from other suppliers. Also, some of the other components may be available for free. For beginners, it is probably best to buy a suite.
For more sophisticated users, consider a pick-and-mix approach and buy a standalone anti-virus product (but don't forget the other defences).
Free or commercial?
There are a number of anti-virus products that are free for personal or non-commercial use.
In most cases, these 'free' products are scaled-back versions of commercial products to which the software manufacturer hopes you will, one day, upgrade.
Advantages: price.
Drawbacks include: no technical support; reduced functionality, for example in scheduling full scans; not from market-leading brands
Unless getting free software is critical, it is preferable to buy a fully-supported commercial product.
How to evaluate anti-virus software
The main criteria are:
- Price.
- Review on reputable technical websites such as Cnet.
- How easy is it to set up and use.
- Level and quality of technical support, including the support website.
- Frequency and responsiveness of signature updates. This is hard for most people to evaluate but well-known and reputable software companies should be okay.
How to buy anti-virus software
Then it is a matter of buying it or downloading it. Suppliers include: high street retailers, online retailers or direct purchase and download from the software developers over the internet.
Business anti-virus software
For networks of five or more computers and for business use, you should consider business versions of popular anti-virus software that are designed to make installation, updating and management easier on multiple computers.
Virus protection advice
- Do not open any files attached to an email from an unknown, suspicious or untrustworthy source, no matter how beguiling it may seem.
- Switch on macro protection in Microsoft Office applications like Word and Excel.
- You don't have to use the anti-virus program that came with your new computer but if you decide to stick with it, don't forget to subscribe once the free trial period is over so that you stay up-to-date.
- Only use one anti-virus program at a time.
- Providing you update virus signatures regularly, as a general rule, you don't need to buy every single new release of the anti-virus software to stay protected. Free online scans are useful diagnostic tools but they are not a substitute for a proper anti-virus program that is installed on your PC. Prevention is better than cure.
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