Who Needs an Antivirus on their Computer?

29-Dec-2020

There are many benefits of the internet. However, the internet has a darker side and, therefore, the term the “dark web.” The online web is not the safest place to be. With the growing use of the internet also comes the issue of online security.

Without advanced protection, you can be a victim of cybercrimes and fraud, such as data theft, leakage of confidential information, and hacking. Moreover, your devices and computers can be attacked by viruses and suspicious malware. Therefore, it is advisable to have an antivirus on your computer. There are many benefits of using an antivirus. However, an antivirus alone is not sufficient in today’s world. You need the latest technologies, such as a VPN, to get additional security.

What is an Antivirus, and what it does?

An antivirus is computer software that acts as a protection shield from malicious programs designed to corrupt your system and hack data. Let’s look at its functions below.

• Protect – Most of the antivirus come with a firewall that acts as a shield from external attacks.
• Scan – An Antivirus will scan your entire system to detect any malware currently present in your system. Most antivirus also allows you to customize your scans. You can specify folders or directories to scan. Also, you can schedule the antivirus to run automatic scans in the future.
• Detect – Once it finishes with the scan, it’ll list out the infected files and vulnerable files for you to take action on.
• Delete – Once you have given the order or automated this function, the antivirus will delete the files before they can cause any further damage.

However, you must always have the latest version installed in your system. The hackers and programmers can develop a crack of the old versions. And the antivirus companies spend considerable time developing and improving the protection that they provide. While a good antivirus software often costs a little money. But, the protection that they provide makes up for the expenditure.

Pros and Cons of Antivirus

Pros

Below are the pros of antivirus that make it essential for everyone to have antivirus on their computers.

• Protection from Viruses and Malware: Many times, viruses and malware attack your devices without your knowledge. Many suspicious links and ads on the internet can enter unwanted viruses into your computer. Internet users often click on spam emails and links by mistake. As a result, their computer gets infected by dangerous viruses. Nonetheless, using antivirus protection can protect your computer by blocking suspicious links, ads, and sites. You can even run an antivirus scan on your computer to remove viruses if they get into your computer.
• Firewall Protection: Besides malware protection, antiviruses also ensure firewall protection. In firewall protection, antiviruses protect your computer against unauthorized connections or network requests. It also prevents your computer from hackers, protecting your personal information.
• Spam Protection: Antivirus programs protect your computer from spam emails and ads. Many times, spam emails contain viruses that can infect your computer. Nonetheless, if you have an antivirus installed on your computer, your device can be protected from spam emails.
• Spyware Protection: At times, your personal information, such as transaction details and bank account details, etc., can be stolen on the internet. Therefore, many antivirus programs come with spyware protection these days to prevent data theft.

Cons

Here is a list of the cons you must consider before installing an antivirus in your gadgets.

• Slows Down the Speed: One of the major cons of using an antivirus is that it can slow down the speed of your network or computer. Antiviruses consume a lot of resources to function efficiently. As a result, the speed of your device slows down considerably.
• Not 100% Protection: Many antivirus software claim 100% protection. However, it is not valid. Even the most secure antivirus software can’t give you complete protection. This is even more true for free antivirus software.
• Always need Updated Version: Having old versions of the antivirus will seldom do you any good. If you continue to use and rely on the out of date versions, your gadgets will continue to remain at risk to potential attacks.

Is Antivirus Alone Is Sufficient?

As we have seen, an antivirus alone is not enough. Antivirus comes with its disadvantages, including slow speed and not 100% protection. Therefore, even after using antivirus, no complete protection can be guaranteed. What can be done in that case?

It’s advisable to use a VPN along with an antivirus to get advanced security.

Use a VPN to Get Advanced Security

In order to get advanced security, it is advisable to use a VPN with your antivirus. A VPN or Virtual Private Network ensures data encryption and safe transmission of data or information over the internet. The foremost reason for which a VPN is used is to get a secure, private connection over unsecured public networks, be it the public internet or open wi-fi hotspots. There are high chances of data theft, hacking, and other cybercrimes if you connect to an unsecured public wi-fi or the internet.

Moreover, your devices can also be attacked by malware and suspicious viruses if you do not use proper security. You can solve all these issues with a VPN. In today’s world, online privacy matters a lot. Therefore, it’s crucial to use both an antivirus and a VPN to give your extra computer security.

Conclusion

It’s necessary to use antivirus on your computer. There are many benefits of using an antivirus, and the foremost is to protect your device against malware and viruses. Besides, firewall protection and spyware protection are other ways antivirus programs prove beneficial for your devices. However, no antivirus software can guarantee complete security. Therefore, it’s advisable to use a VPN or Virtual Private Network along with an antivirus software program to get extra protection. A VPN helps secure your connection by establishing a private network over less-secure public networks. This additional security is required as we are often connected to public networks, but these public networks are not secure. Hence, to prevent your devices from public networks, consider using antivirus and VPNs both.