7 Reasons Why You Need To Have An Antivirus

If you think it is better not to install a security solution and have an antivirus that seems unnecessary, pay attention to these 7 data.

“Is it really necessary to have an antivirus installed on my devices?” To give an affirmative or negative answer to this question, which is usually heard in different environments, from the most technical and specialist to end users without greater knowledge about technology, never takes a short time. It usually generates long discussions about the performance of the team, the usability of the security solutions, the privacy of the user and other amount of topics that often extend the conversation.

I already know that when working in a security company like ESET, you will be thinking that my answer will be strongly biased towards the yes, which is totally true; however, as a security professional who has been working on these issues for several years, I have been able to know a lot about threats and their ways of spreading. Therefore, I’m going to list seven facts that will help you get an idea about what to do.

1. Diversity of threats

Nowadays there are many types of threats that we find spreading and affecting users. Although the term “antivirus” was coined in the collective subconscious, this type of tools have evolved from detecting only computer viruses to complete security solutions, which provide many other features such as firewall , antispam and anti-phishing filters or scanning memory, among others, that give an integral protection to the system and allow you to navigate safely in the current context of threats.

2. Variety in the form of propagation

Undoubtedly, the use of Social Engineering is one of the main mechanisms used by attackers to spread their threats and often requires user interaction to run a file, open a document or download something on your mobile device. From there, the infection begins.

However, it is not the only thing that attackers use, since there are techniques that do not require a user to interact with the threat in order for it to be installed. For example, injecting an iframe into a vulnerable website can lead an attacker to install something on the user’s device without it being aware of what is happening. But a security solution will detect this malicious behavior.

3. Growth in the number of detections

A few years ago, when I started working at ESET, we talked about an average of about 200,000 different samples processed every day; By the end of 2016, this number was close to 300,000. This without forgetting that, only from ESET, updates of several thousand signatures for Windows directed malware are launched every few days.

If we add to the above the fact that everything we see in ESET is not the only thing that can happen in the cybercrime ecosystem, these numbers may be greater.

4. Vulnerable technologies accommodate different threats

Computer threats not only exploit failures and vulnerabilities in particular versions of an operating system, they also do so in applications, which opens the possibility of an infection regardless of the version of the operating system that is used. In addition, to the above is added the variety of languages used by attackers, which extend their possibilities to affect systems: from compiled languages to scripting are used to attempt against different platforms.

5. Affected platforms

Without a doubt, most of the malicious codes are focused on affecting Windows operating systems, but it is increasingly common to find threats to other systems such as Mac OS X or Linux , although many still believe in their invulnerability. There is even malware for mobile systems like Android or iOS , so it’s time to understand that there are no risk-free platforms.

6. Concentration of threats

It is a reality that a security solution is not going to stop all attacks that may be victim a user, but it will serve to prevent infection in the vast majority of cases. Considering the growth in the amount of malicious codes that circulate, it is important not to leave the protection at random.

7. Use of the device

The use that is given to the device is essential to prevent an infection. When it is shared, the possibilities of being a victim of a cybercriminal rise; For example, have you thought about what you can download your hij @, prim @, tí @ or novi @ when you lend your equipment to be distracted for a while?

Beyond the discussion about who you should lend or not your mobile, someone who gets control for a moment could execute something malicious by mistake or ignorance. And if we talk about unknown people, the possibility increases and includes the potential intention to do harm.

It is true that it is not enough to have a security solution. Guaranteeing that we are going to be safe goes beyond just having an installed antivirus : knowing the threats and how they spread, besides making an adequate use of the technology, mainly keeping updated operating systems and applications, help to have a real protection against all kinds of threats. You can get best antivirus software for windows 10.

There are those who say that having an antivirus installed extends the possibility of an attacker to violate a system, because they could exploit the vulnerabilities of these tools. And to some extent they are right: installing a new application in the system extends the attack surface. But in this particular case, there are many more threats that help prevent than those that could cause. In addition, if we are talking about a product backed by a reliable security company with a track record in the market (that’s right, I also thought about ESET) these problems are solved very quickly, preventing an attacker from taking advantage.

Antivirus is like an all-rounder. From protecting your device from threats to giving advanced security features such as personal Firewall, sandboxing, etc it gives you all. If you want to makes sure that your device is fully protected; install a good antivirus in your device. Norton.com setup with product key gives you the latest features and services for keeping your device protected from all kinds of threats and provides you a secure platform to work.

After all this, are you still thinking that you should not have a security solution installed on your devices?

About The Author

Anita Sharma

Anita Sharma is a Master in English and European Literature currently works with many organizations as a freelance content writer. Apart from it, she has her own blogging website.