5 choses à considérer dans un logiciel antivirus

Every computer needs antivirus, but the possibilities are endless and often confusing. As with anything new to you, recommendations and advice can be very beneficial when searching for an antivirus that is right for you.

You need to be sure that what you choose is suitable for your requirements and needs. To make the process easier for you, we have highlighted 5 features to look for before deciding which antivirus is best.

Analysis and cleaning

Threat prevention is a very important feature in antivirus software, but being able to detect and remove existing threats is equally important. Once you install your new antivirus, you will need to scan your computer to ensure that it does not contain any existing threats. If a threat is detected, the antivirus software should be able to quarantine and remove it. The best antivirus programs have a “recovery” or “clean” mode that allows you to scan and clean your computer with confidence.

Signature detection

Historically, antivirus software relied on signatures contained in malware to detect viruses. Once the antivirus software identified a trace of this signature, it would prevent the infected program from being installed. The online world has since changed and evolved, and new viruses are constantly emerging. As such, signature detection is far from sufficient, the main drawback being the fact that it relies solely on already identified virus signatures. However, signature detection remains necessary but must be accompanied by behavior detection.

Behavioral detection

This is where things get complicated. Behavioral detection is a feature that attempts to detect certain types of behavior on your computer based on known malware actions. Instead of identifying a specific signature, antivirus software detects files or programs on your computer that are acting suspiciously (for example, trying to access the Internet or install files without your permission). Occasionally, this leads to false positives, or warnings in cases where desktop software you are using is supposed to be accessing the Internet (like Skype) or downloading files. In this case, you will normally be notified that something is behaving suspiciously and asked for your permission.

Backup

You luckily won’t need a backup, but if you do and you don’t have one, you’ll regret it. Some antivirus services provide a secure online space where your data is encrypted and protected against malicious threats so that if one manages to defeat your security mechanisms, your information will not be lost.

Two-way firewall

Almost all security software today has a firewall, protecting you from threats before they get near your computer. Your operating system and even your router may have a firewall, but that doesn’t always mean it’s enough. Look for a firewall that monitors your Internet connection and prevents third parties from accessing your WiFi connection while preventing important data from « leaking. » A good firewall constantly updates itself to deal with constant changes.
There are many more features, such as spyware protection, filtering, child protection, and more. Read as many reviews as possible and look for software that has all of the features above and additional features specific to your needs.