Viruses sound scary, especially considering the current COVID-19 pandemic. Viruses do not just apply to human, but they also apply to any internet-connected device such as computers, phones, and tablets. Every day, new malware and other online threats emerge. The AV-Test Institute registers over 350,000 new pieces of malware and potentially unwanted applications (PUA) every day. Some of the operating systems are much more susceptible to viruses than others, with Windows coming in first.
According to managed service providers (MSPs), eighty-seven per cent of ransomware targeted Windows computers as of January 25, 2021. Antivirus Software is a data security utility installed in a computer system to protect from viruses, spyware, malware, rootkits, trojans, phishing attacks, spam attack, and other online cyber threats. Antivirus tools are essential for users to have them installed and ensure software version are always kept up to date because a computer without antivirus software protection will get infected within minutes of connecting to the internet.
A system without an antivirus is just like a house with an open door. An open and unprotected door will attract all the intruders and burglars into your home. Similarly, an unprotected computer will end up inviting all the viruses to the system. An antivirus will act as a closed door with a security guard for your computer fending off all the malicious intruding viruses. However, getting antivirus software is expensive.
Most antivirus software does only valid for one year, and users must regularly replace the antivirus software or relicense it. Most users intend to search the web and source for free antivirus software when it comes to cost or expenses. But they do not know that installing free antivirus software online does not help protect their computer from virus. Instead, it creates a room or an opportunity for hackers to invade their computer by putting malicious code or commands into the “free” antivirus software without them knowing.
Besides getting free antivirus software online, there is a crucial difference between licensed to free antivirus software. Free antivirus software tends to have essential protection and features such as scanning local drive on the computer. However, they do have restrictions on the number of files that to be scan, and free antivirus software requires users to subscribe or purchase to retrieve the scanned report and perform specific actions if a virus or malware found in the scanned location.
Free antivirus software may resort to using scaring techniques on users by show false positive scanning results. License antivirus provides a full range of features from scanning local drive, email filtering, network traffic monitoring, and device behaviour detection. However, these features provided depends on the package to which the user has subscribed.