Best Antivirus Software
Having multiple layers of cybersecurity defense is essential for protecting yourself from computer viruses. A firewall or anti-virus program is a good place to start.
What is Antivirus Software?
How Can It Help You Protect Yourself?
Antivirus
Definition
Software designed specifically to detect, prevent, and remove malware (malicious software).
Antivirus software is used to prevent, scan, detect, and remove viruses from a computer. Most antivirus software, once installed, runs automatically in the background to provide real-time protection against virus attacks.
Comprehensive virus protection software protects your files and hardware from malware such as worms, Trojan horses, and spyware, and may also provide additional security features such as customizable firewalls and website blocking.
What is Phishing?
By posing as a trustworthy entity, phishing attacks use email or fraudulent websites to try to trick you into providing personal or financial information in order to compromise an account or steal money. They may claim that there is a problem with your payment information or that they have noticed activity on your account and request that you click on a link or attachment and provide personal information.
What is Spyware?
Spyware is a type of malware that attaches to and hides on a computer's operating system without your knowledge in order to alter your user experience. It can be used to track your online activity and generate unwanted advertisements, as well as force your browser to display specific websites or search results.
What is Malware?
Malware, short for "malicious software," is a catch-all term for a wide range of software programs designed to cause harm or perform other undesirable actions on a computer, server, or computer network. Viruses, spyware, and trojan horses are common examples. Malware can cause your device to slow down or crash, as well as delete files. Malware is frequently used by criminals to send spam, obtain personal and financial information, and even steal your identity.
Here are other cyber threats you should be aware of
Botnets: Botnets or robot networks are basically a network of hijacked computers and devices that have been infected with malware to carry out scams and more. This means your computer can be used to send spam emails, execute click fraud, commit identity theft, infect others with adware, spread viruses, and more.
DDoS attacks: A distributed denial-of-service or DDoS attack can shut down a website by sending more traffic than what the network can handle. Notable victims in the past include CNN, Amazon, Airbnb, Netflix, and PayPal. Reasons for the attack can range from hacktivism, jealous business competitors, political motivation, or personal revenge.
Phishing: You know those dubious emails from your "bank" that ask you to update your information by clicking on a link? Those are most likely phishing emails designed to steal sensitive information such as bank account information, passwords, and more.
Ransomware is a type of malware that, as the name implies, holds your files or computer hostage until you pay the attackers a ransom.
Infection with malware: Malware is a catch-all term for malicious software variants such as viruses, Trojan horses, worms, spyware, and others.
Common Types of Computer Viruses
1. Virus in Residence
Resident viruses infiltrate your RAM and interfere with system operations. They are so cunning that they can attach themselves to anti-virus software files.
2. Virus with Multiple Entities
This virus infects the entire system; multipartite viruses spread by unauthorized actions on your operating system, folders, and programs.
3. Take Direct Action
This virus replicates and infects files of a specific file type, most commonly executable files (.exe). This virus type is one of the easiest to detect and remove due to its targeted nature.
4. Browser Exploit
This virus type is easily detected and infects your browser, redirecting you to malicious websites.
5. Virus Overwrite
Overwrite viruses, as the name implies, overwrite file content to infect entire folders, files, and programs.
6.Web Scripting Virus
This sneaky virus hides in the coding of links, ads, images, videos, and website code. When users download malicious files or visit malicious websites, it can infect their systems.
7. Infector of Files
File infector viruses slow down programs and damage system files by targeting executable files (.exe).
8.Network Virus
Network viruses spread via network connections and replicate via shared resources.
9. Virus in the Boot Sector
This virus hides in a file on a USB drive or an email attachment, making it one of the easier viruses to avoid. When activated, it has the potential to corrupt the system's master boot record.
What Is a VPN (Virtual Private Network)?
A VPN, or virtual private network, is software that establishes a secure link between your device and the internet.
A VPN is a piece of software that allows you to keep your internet activity private and secure.
Before forwarding your traffic to the website or application you're attempting to access, the VPN establishes a secure tunnel between your device and a private VPN server.
This prevents third parties from tracking your online activities. It also safeguards you against hackers attempting to intercept your traffic.
A VPN protects your online activity by encrypting it and routing it through a secure VPN server.
Why You Should Use a VPN
A VPN can be relied upon to stay secure online and maintain your privacy.
Protect your Online Activity from Third-parties
Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) can see and almost certainly records all of the websites you visit.
In some countries, ISPs are required to collect and store user data for extended periods of time, which the government can access, store, and search.
This is true in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and much of Europe, to name a few.
Your ISP or any other third party will be unable to spy on your online activity because VPNs encrypt internet traffic from your device to the VPN server.
Secure your Data on Public WiFi Networks
Using public WiFi networks to collect data is simple and inexpensive.
Criminals can use open and unencrypted networks to steal important data such as your bank account information, credit card information, photos, and other personal information.
When you use public WiFi in a café, hotel, or airport, you put your sensitive data at risk.
In their pursuit of high-value targets, hackers are increasingly targeting hotels and shopping malls.
You can secure your device by using a VPN, which encrypts your internet traffic and makes it much more difficult for hackers to intercept and steal your data.
Stop ISP Throttling
Your internet service provider almost certainly monitors your online activity. If you live in a country with weak Net Neutrality laws, your ISP may even intentionally slow down your connection when you engage in bandwidth-intensive activities. This is known as bandwidth throttling.
VPN encryption can assist in preventing ISP throttling, allowing you to enjoy all internet activities at full speed.
How Does a VPN Work?
A VPN establishes a secure and private internet connection between your device and a private server.
This means that neither your ISP nor any other third-party can read or understand your data. The private server then routes your traffic to the desired website or service.
This is how a VPN works:
You sign up for your preferred VPN service.
Download and install the VPN software on your device. A VPN client or application is the name given to this software.
Sign in to your VPN with your account information and select the location of the VPN server to which you want to connect.
When you press the 'connect' button on the VPN app, the VPN client will look up the IP address of your selected VPN server.
The VPN client establishes contact with the VPN server. They then form an encrypted VPN tunnel. The VPN tunnel establishes a secure connection between your device and the VPN server.
Your device's internet traffic is routed to the VPN server via an encrypted VPN tunnel.
The internet traffic is then forwarded by the VPN server to the website or service you are attempting to access.
Every VPN service includes a list of server locations, and the best VPNs will allow you to select from a variety of countries and cities all over the world.
The Dangers of Free VPNs
There are numerous free VPNs available, but the majority of them are limited at best and dangerous at worst.
The main problems with free VPNs are: monthly data caps, limited server selection, slow speeds, and data abuse.
The True Cost of Free VPNs
VPN services have the potential to monetize your data in unexpected ways.
It is costly to develop and operate a reliable VPN, so many low-cost or free services choose to subsidize subscription fees with revenue from other channels.
If you aren't paying for your VPN service, it's likely that data collection, sharing, or sale is taking place to cover the cost of the product.
Many of these free services are also heavily reliant on advertising, which is not ideal for privacy.
According to our research, some of the most popular free VPNs on the market have hidden connections to mainland China, and 85% of the most popular free Android VPN apps have excessive permissions with the potential for privacy violations.