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Each month, we stop over 1.5 billion cyberattacks all around the globe thanks to an unrivaled threat detection network, which is why professionals and amateurs alike love our free and paid antivirus protection.
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A type of malware that infects your computer often through malicious downloads or deceptive links. Viruses are designed to spread themselves across files and programs as well as across networks to other devices. Indications that you may have a virus on your computer include slowdowns,
The security of your devices is also at risk, especially when shopping online or using cloud-based services. Cybercriminals are on the lookout for personal data, trying to steal passwords, bank details, or even hijack your computer access to use your devices for attacks against others. Keyloggers, rootkits, spyware, Trojans, and worms are just some of the malware types that can attack your system. To keep your system secure and protect your privacy, you need to install an antivirus software, designed to detect and remove malware. With regular virus scans, you can protect your computer against a wide range of threats.
Most antivirus software programs download updates automatically when you are online. This helps ensure that your protection is always up to date. We recommend that you enable real-time scanning to make sure that there are no lapses in your protection. In addition, you can schedule system scans in advance for times that work best for you.
Yes! The prevalence of mobile phones has created a unique opportunity for cybercriminals. Even just a handful of malicious apps pretending to be legitimate apps can do serious damage in a hurry. Protecting your mobile device with antivirus software can help you steer clear of these threats and keep both your money and personal data safer.
On the other hand, paid antivirus subscriptions give you up-to-date, advanced security protection against a wide variety of malware and digital threats. Paid solutions also tend to come with richer features and services. For example, McAfee Total Protection includes identity protection and a VPN to protect your personal info.
Security tools of the past relied on manually gathering malware definitions (the different types of malicious software that had been found in the wild, like viruses, ransomware and spyware). As threats have advanced in nature and complexity, industry-leading antivirus software like McAfee Total Protection, also quickly developed to stay ahead of cybercriminals. At McAfee, we use strategies like behavioral detection and machine learning to ensure we can detect, isolate, and eliminate all recognized malware and even zero-day digital threats (brand new threats that haven't been seen before) to keep you safe online.
Bitdefender Antivirus Free is a free antivirus software especially designed to protect your Windows PC. Quick to install and light on computer resources, it is good for gaming, image and video editing, and resource-intensive applications.
Windows 11 lets you run the antivirus program of your choosing, and Bitdefender Antivirus Free for Windows is the perfectly optimized option if you need a powerful antivirus software loaded only with the bare-bones protection features that every computer needs.
Antivirus is software that is designed to detect, protect against, and remove malware on a computer or mobile device. Originally, it was created to protect against computer viruses, but now it's more of a general term to describe software that uses a combination of advanced technologies to protect against a variety of threats, including ransomware, spyware, and even never-before-seen zero day attacks. Early antivirus programs would compare software file signatures against a list of known viruses to see if they matched, and if so, block them. Today, cybersecurity companies like Malwarebytes employ several different methods to detect, block, or remove malware from a device.
Today, the terms antivirus and anti-malware are often used interchangeably to refer to cybersecurity software that blocks viruses and other types of malware from computers and mobile devices. The term antivirus refers to computer viruses that were early online threats, and anti-malware refers to the term "malware," which is an umbrella term for any kind of malicious software (including viruses). "Anti-malware" is intended to be a broader description than "antivirus," but antivirus has broadened in common usage to describe the same type of software. Both antivirus and anti-malware typically detect and block threats, and remove any threats that make it on to a device. Both of these terms fall under the broader term "cybersecurity."
Cybersecurity, or computer security, is a catchall term for any strategy for protecting one's system from malicious attacks. For home users, these strategies include both antivirus and anti-malware protection, plus other means to stay safe online like browser protection or a VPN for online privacy. For businesses and organizations, cybersecurity is a broad and important field as cybersecurity attacks continue to make headlines. Businesses often employ a number of different strategies to guard against threats, a foundational one of which is known as endpoint protection.
Early viruses like Elk Cloner were mostly designed as pranks. Their creators were in it for notoriety and bragging rights. However, by the early 1990s, adolescent mischief had evolved into harmful intent. PC users experienced an onslaught of viruses designed to destroy data, slow down system resources, and log keystrokes (also known as a keylogger). The need for countermeasures led to the development of the first antivirus software programs.
Those using antiviruses online had to regularly download an ever-growing database file consisting of hundreds of thousands of signatures. Even so, new viruses that got out ahead of database updates left a significant percentage of devices unprotected. The result was a constant race to keep up with the evolving landscape of threats as new viruses were created and released into the wild.
Viruses are just one kind of malware. There are other forms of malware that are more common these days, and antivirus software is designed to defend against these. Here are just a few of today's online threats:
In December 2016, Malwarebytes folded anti-exploit and malicious website antivirus protection into the premium version of Malwarebytes for Windows. We have since added anti-ransomware for even more advanced anti-malware protection.
In the case of business IT professionals with multiple endpoints to secure, the heuristic approach is especially important. New malware threats emerge regularly, so heuristics play an important role in Malwarebytes Endpoint Protection, as does AI and ML. Together, they create multiple layers of antivirus protection that address all stages of the attack chain for both known and unknown threats.
From desktops and laptops to tablets and smartphones, all our devices are vulnerable to malware. Given a choice, who wouldn't want to prevent an infection instead of dealing with the aftermath? So, what is the best antivirus for you? First, think about how many Windows, Mac, and mobile devices you have to protect. Malwarebytes offers protection for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and Chromebook. Learn more about protecting each:
Windows is the most-used operating system worldwide, and with such a large share of users, it's a big target for various types of malware. Malwarebytes Premium protects PCs against malware using advanced antivirus and anti-malware technology as well as other defenses. Our Windows protection can defend against ransomware and against zero-day exploits, which are never-before-seen types of attacks that software companies haven't had a chance to patch yet.
Industry watchers have cited Malwarebytes for Windows for its role in a layered antivirus protection approach, providing one of the best antivirus programs without degrading system performance. It removes all traces of malware, blocks the latest threats, and is a fast virus scanner.
For antivirus with online privacy protection too, check out our antivirus with VPN. Regardless of the cybersecurity software you choose, your first line of defense is education. Stay up to date on the latest online threats and antivirus protection by making the Malwarebytes Labs blog a regular read.
We test the premium version of TotalAV Antivirus Pro alongside the world's leading antivirus software providers to ensure that we provide our users with impenetrable protection. The results achieved speak for themselves and really helps showcase the benefits of our premium antivirus.
Bitdefender also provides excellent anti-phishing protection. During testing, it blocked many fake websites that had evaded detection from the built-in protections on the Chrome and Firefox browsers, as well as the anti-phishing tools of other antiviruses. Out of all the brands on this list, only Bitdefender and Norton had near-perfect anti-phishing results.
Malwarebytes Free is a minimalistic antivirus scanner with good virus detection and removal rates. It also comes with a browser extension that blocks malware, phishing sites, ads, and trackers. Upgrading to Malwarebytes Premium brings you real-time protection and coverage for up to 5 devices, whereas Malwarebytes Premium + Privacy also adds a VPN.
The best premium antiviruses include everything you need to secure your PC, including anti-malware engines that use AI and machine learning to detect both known and unknown viruses, as well as malicious website protection and identity theft monitoring tools.
Top antiviruses like Norton even offer up to $1 million in insurance coverage for cases of identity theft (US customers only), making it worth the relatively low yearly cost of a paid subscription.
Overall, if you want complete online protection, consider a paid antivirus (most of which are low cost, especially with our promotional coupons and discounts). You can read more about paid antiviruses for different operating systems here. 041b061a72