Top Anti-Virus Software Reports

Profiles, Resources, And Consumer's Feedback For The Popular Anti-Virus Softwares On The Web.

The Inner Workings Of A Anti-Virus Software

The Vulnerability of Your Computer System

Computer systems are vulnerable to vicious attacks by malicious malware programs.  This is an ever-increasing concern for all computer users.  The use of Anti-Virus Software is vital in today's world for protecting against phishing attacks, Trojans, worms, adware, spyware, and other malicious malware programs.

These programs are installed without the user's consent and can at very least because limited computer functionality and at worst complete computer failure.  These attacks are open to anyone who uses the Internet to surf or for email. 

How Malicious Software Programs Attack

Virus is the common term used for malicious software programs and can include Trojan Horses, worms, adware, crimeware, spyware, and other malware software programs. Malicious programs are disguised as some program or link in an email or online that may interest the user enough to click the link and/or install the program.

These rogue programs are designed to stay concealed and allow the attacker remote access (in some cases) to the user's system using backdoor entry or cause either minor damage or severe damage to a file, system file, or to the hard drive.  The only way to detect and fix these kinds of attacks is to install an Anti-Virus Software.

Anti-Virus Software Methods of Detection

There are several methods used by anti-virus software to detect and quarantine, repair, or remove malicious programs from a computer system.  These methods include:

Signature Based Detection - Compares the signatures of all files to a database of known malicious virus signatures to detect known viruses.  This method only detects known malware threats.

Suspicious Behavior Monitoring - Does not identify known viruses but instead monitors the behavior of all programs on a system and flags any suspicious behavior within all the computer's programs.  This provides added protection above the signature based detection as can uncover viruses not yet in the malicious malware dictionary or database.  This method can also produce false alarms which can make the user "numb" to some of the suspicious warnings.

Heuristic Based Detection - Heuristic based detection involves file analysis and file emulation for detecting new malware.  This method is the most sophisticated of the three methods.  While this method can also trigger some false alarms it is the most effective at uncovering new malware not found in the known virus dictionary.

Depending on the anti-virus software used one or more of these methods may be used.  The more sophisticated anti-virus programs are better and offer more thorough protection for your computer system.

The List Of Anti-Virus Protection Softwares >>

Anti-Virus Articles