After spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a new computer, you’re not going to want it to be contaminated by malware. It is imperative to upgrade and test your antivirus software regularly. The most effective antivirus software provides solid protection against malware, along with a myriad of other internet security features. This includes the use of a VPN, anti-phishing protection and password managers, dark web monitoring and parental controls.
The best antivirus software also updates frequently, ensuring that the latest threats are detected and blocked. This is crucial as new threats are constantly being developed and older ones can evolve to evade detection in the course of time. A majority of the top antivirus programs come with a variety of ways to identify and block viruses, such as signature detection, heuristic analysis, behavior monitoring, sandboxing, and artificial intelligence.
Some of the most effective anti-virus programs include additional tools including a disk manager for hard drives, an app manager that handles startup and an application for monitoring processes. This helps you keep your PC running at peak performance and shields it from a wider range of threats than the basic malware scan provided by free antivirus programs.
The majority of premium antivirus software provides cross-platform, multi-device licenses for Windows, macOS and Android. This makes it a good option for families with multiple smartphones or computers that require protection. For example, Norton 360 offers excellent virus and malware protection, as well as a broad set of additional cybersecurity tools including a password manager and VPN, VPN, dark web monitoring, and parental controls, all for an affordable annual fee.
