Best Antivirus for PC: Our User Guide

To be called “virus” a computer program has to obey to two rules: it has to execute itself, and it has to replicate itself in some way. Lately, it has also been called “malware,” a contraction of “malicious software,” to indicate any files or software that intend to harm your data or your PC. If the virus doesn’t need a host file to propagate itself, it is called worm. Depending on its purpose, a malware can be called in many ways.
If it disguise itself as a harmless file or attachment, it’s a trojan virus. Spyware is a particular kind of virus that spy on your computer activities, often using a keylogger to record the exact combination of keys you type in order to steal sensible data like credit card information or other personal data. When a virus injects unwanted ads in your browser or any other part of your system, you got an adware. A rootkit, instead, is a virus that will grant access to other software to areas of your hard disk that would otherwise be restricted. Ransomware are a tricky kind of virus that lock you out of your data or account and force you to pay a ransom to regain control.

Depending on your situation and the gravity of your infection, there are many things you can do to resolve your problem – or prevent it. If you’re a consumer or a freelance, you’d probably be safe enough with the consumer versions of any antivirus we tried, provided that you keep it updated and you keep your PC away from clear menaces. You can find specific software for specific hazards, letting you clean your PC from threats and prevent attacks.

First line of defense is of course your computer’s firewall, which you should always activate. Many software house make also firewall application, often included in their security suites. So you can choose the best internet security suite according to your needs – or your problems. Most of them provide you with a full scan of your system, eradicating malware, adware or spyware from your PC. These security application verify every site that you go to and warn you if there’s something suspicious going on; they can do the same check on links found on your social network feeds. Some security suites, almost always the most expensive ones, add some parental control features to the mix, letting you block access to inappropriate content to other users of your PC. Anti-phishing means are deployed to every message you receive (and then click through), to verify they aren’t scam baits that trick you into put personal information such as credit card passcodes or private password into fake sites.

If you work in a business environment, your IT department probably has already set up many resources to protect the company digital safety, which typically means end-to-end encryption, file server scanning, email server protection, and a much more robust firewall. Enterprise versions usually give IT administrators granular control over company machines, and at the same time, they can apply different security policies to different users or group of employees. As per the consumer edition, it’s vital that an antivirus can successfully block a zero-day exploit, which means that the antivirus engine is finely tuned to recognize and neutralize malware that is still not yet labeled as a known threat.

Anyway, the most powerful internet security policy is very straightforward: be careful on every site you browse, don’t download anything (especially from site you don’t trust), don’t click on attachments from email coming from somebody that’s not already among your contacts. All those rules that seem to come straight from the ‘90s, but remember: the weak link, in this case, isn’t the virus, isn’t the computer: it is the user. You.