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If you’re serious about your computer and don’t want it to be harmed by malware, antivirus protection is essential. Antivirus software scans programs, files and emails for viruses and then deletes or blocks any items it detects. The best antivirus software will work with all operating systems, and will use a minimal amount of resources to ensure it doesn’t slow down or crash your computer. The majority of antivirus software must be regularly updated to deal with the latest bugs.

Antivirus programs protect you from a variety of malware. There are viruses, trojans, worms (which look like secure programs, but steal data or damage another device), and spyware that monitors what you type to expose your password and account information or bombard you with ad-hoc notifications. Many antivirus programs contain rootkit detection tools that can identify malicious code that is hidden in your system. Heuristic detection also scans for patterns and recurring patterns in the way programs and files behave in order to detect the malware that signature-based scanners might miss.

A reliable antivirus program should safeguard your laptops and PCs against a range of threats. It should also work across tablets, desktops, and smartphones. It should be light and easy-to-configure and use and shouldn’t be relying on «real time» scan processes that could slow down your system. The best antivirus software is constantly changing to stay ahead of the curve. A good indicator is how often it updates its virus definitions and you should look for weekly or daily updates.