Antivirus is a fundamental program for all computers, without which the operating system would remain vulnerable to malware and viruses and open to external intrusions by hackers and hackers.
The antivirus works in real time and during the use of the PC, remaining vigilant on what you do, on the new saved files and the new programs that are downloaded, warning the user and blocking every operation in case a probable threat is detected .
As mentioned several times in this blog, this protection is now indispensable, every PC must always have an antivirus, be it commercial or free, the same is fine, the important thing is that it updates automatically and punctually.
As already written in another post, the Windows 10 Windows Defender antivirus is fine and can be maintained without installing anything else.
The bad news is that, at times, antivirus is not enough and cannot defend the PC, because there are types of cyber attacks, technical or based on cunning, which overcome software protections and hit making the antivirus ineffective and completely useless .
READ ALSO: Best free Antivirus of 2017 compared
1) Physical access of strangers
One of the main problems that often cause theft of private information and bad taste jokes is unauthorized access to your computer .
It certainly does not take a hacker to take advantage of the absence of the owner and to snoop on his computer.
The important thing to protect yourself is always to lock your PC with a password in any environment where there are other people and also at home, to avoid the risk of remote access (point 2).
In one case or another, it is useless to think that the Windows login password is enough, which, as shown, can be easily found or canceled (see how to access Windows without a password).
You could also protect a computer's information from theft, with a bios password or, even better, with a computer anti-theft program or one that allows you to
In my opinion, the bios password is not convenient because it would be to be entered every time the pc is turned on; definitely better to find the stolen laptop .
Another way of protecting sensitive and important data is by creating an encrypted, inaccessible partition without a password.
This can be done with a program like Veracrypt that can encrypt the PC disk.
2) Remote access
One might think that an antivirus could be enough to be protected from any cyber threat coming from outside.
This, unfortunately, is not true, because it is possible for anyone with access to the network used to connect to the internet to inject undetectable malicious code that exploits bugs in the system or in some programs.
Antiviruses are able to detect suspicious files and quarantine them, but do nothing against attacks that try to gain access to your computer from outside the local network.
Ideally, a firewall would be needed to block these accesses.
While it is possible to download and install free firewalls that protect against network attacks, you can still rely on the built-in firewall in Windows, which offers basic protection sufficient for most cases.
3) Virus on USB stick or other external devices .
Antivirus always blocks viruses that try to copy themselves to the computer, but if the virus is brought manually and voluntarily, it may fail to prevent its effects.
a virus inside a simple USB stick can be lethal even for a well protected pc.
For example, a virus can also remain hidden and ready inside the memory of the mobile phone, a smartphone, an iPhone, a camera and hit how the device is connected to the computer via the USB port.
To defend against this type of problem you must always be careful what you connect to your computer, paying maximum caution when using USB sticks of friends (who are perhaps infected without the owner's knowledge) and, above all, avoiding using pens USB found on the ground.
For usb sticks we had seen how important it is to disable autorun and protect the PC from viruses inside them.
4) Spyware and adware
Antivirus against spyware and adware, which are not viruses in the strict sense and can remain hidden within programs or browser extensions, is not enough.
These spyware are basically programs that capture information for advertising purposes, to show ads on the PC or simply to collect data.
Very often, when you download free programs, it is possible that they are accompanied by the adware that can annoy and against which the antivirus, usually, is not needed and has no effect.
For this, every now and then, it would be good to scan your computer with an antispyware program to eliminate all traces of spy software.
5) Exploit and Zero Day
A Zero day bug is a still publicly unknown software vulnerability on programs or operating systems, for which a patch has not yet been provided.
Exploit is a program that exploits this vulnerability, which, being unknown, can overcome any virus check.
Although many antiviruses have an antiexploit function, this does not guarantee that the PC or any device with an operating system (such as a mobile phone) is immune to exploits.
There have been some worldwide scandals such as the CIA that have been spying on everyone's computers and phones by exploiting an unknown zero day bug for years.
It is therefore very difficult to defend against this type of attack, even if there are effective protection systems, which, however, risk slowing down operations on the computer.
In particular situations, for example, you can activate protection from Exploits in Windows Defender (Windows 10)
6) Phishing
A phishing attack occurs when what appears to be a familiar site attempts to access computer memory.
These are the typical emails of the type " Your bank account has been deactivated, click here to reactivate it " and ask for the bank password.
The phishing website is a perfect copy of the original site and misleads the less experienced and inattentive.
These attacks are difficult to detect and are becoming increasingly sophisticated, especially spread through Whatsapp and Facebook.
Antivirus programs do not protect against this risk because, technically, it is not a virus.
Paid antivirus suites all have integrated anti-phishing protection.
There are also ways to protect yourself from phishing threats without paying for an expensive security suite.
You can check the secure websites with some online tools and follow the written instructions on the article: Protect bank accounts online .
To continue the topic, you can read the important guide to online security against hackers, phishing and cyber criminals .
The antivirus works in real time and during the use of the PC, remaining vigilant on what you do, on the new saved files and the new programs that are downloaded, warning the user and blocking every operation in case a probable threat is detected .
As mentioned several times in this blog, this protection is now indispensable, every PC must always have an antivirus, be it commercial or free, the same is fine, the important thing is that it updates automatically and punctually.
As already written in another post, the Windows 10 Windows Defender antivirus is fine and can be maintained without installing anything else.
The bad news is that, at times, antivirus is not enough and cannot defend the PC, because there are types of cyber attacks, technical or based on cunning, which overcome software protections and hit making the antivirus ineffective and completely useless .
READ ALSO: Best free Antivirus of 2017 compared
1) Physical access of strangers
One of the main problems that often cause theft of private information and bad taste jokes is unauthorized access to your computer .
It certainly does not take a hacker to take advantage of the absence of the owner and to snoop on his computer.
The important thing to protect yourself is always to lock your PC with a password in any environment where there are other people and also at home, to avoid the risk of remote access (point 2).
In one case or another, it is useless to think that the Windows login password is enough, which, as shown, can be easily found or canceled (see how to access Windows without a password).
You could also protect a computer's information from theft, with a bios password or, even better, with a computer anti-theft program or one that allows you to
In my opinion, the bios password is not convenient because it would be to be entered every time the pc is turned on; definitely better to find the stolen laptop .
Another way of protecting sensitive and important data is by creating an encrypted, inaccessible partition without a password.
This can be done with a program like Veracrypt that can encrypt the PC disk.
2) Remote access
One might think that an antivirus could be enough to be protected from any cyber threat coming from outside.
This, unfortunately, is not true, because it is possible for anyone with access to the network used to connect to the internet to inject undetectable malicious code that exploits bugs in the system or in some programs.
Antiviruses are able to detect suspicious files and quarantine them, but do nothing against attacks that try to gain access to your computer from outside the local network.
Ideally, a firewall would be needed to block these accesses.
While it is possible to download and install free firewalls that protect against network attacks, you can still rely on the built-in firewall in Windows, which offers basic protection sufficient for most cases.
3) Virus on USB stick or other external devices .
Antivirus always blocks viruses that try to copy themselves to the computer, but if the virus is brought manually and voluntarily, it may fail to prevent its effects.
a virus inside a simple USB stick can be lethal even for a well protected pc.
For example, a virus can also remain hidden and ready inside the memory of the mobile phone, a smartphone, an iPhone, a camera and hit how the device is connected to the computer via the USB port.
To defend against this type of problem you must always be careful what you connect to your computer, paying maximum caution when using USB sticks of friends (who are perhaps infected without the owner's knowledge) and, above all, avoiding using pens USB found on the ground.
For usb sticks we had seen how important it is to disable autorun and protect the PC from viruses inside them.
4) Spyware and adware
Antivirus against spyware and adware, which are not viruses in the strict sense and can remain hidden within programs or browser extensions, is not enough.
These spyware are basically programs that capture information for advertising purposes, to show ads on the PC or simply to collect data.
Very often, when you download free programs, it is possible that they are accompanied by the adware that can annoy and against which the antivirus, usually, is not needed and has no effect.
For this, every now and then, it would be good to scan your computer with an antispyware program to eliminate all traces of spy software.
5) Exploit and Zero Day
A Zero day bug is a still publicly unknown software vulnerability on programs or operating systems, for which a patch has not yet been provided.
Exploit is a program that exploits this vulnerability, which, being unknown, can overcome any virus check.
Although many antiviruses have an antiexploit function, this does not guarantee that the PC or any device with an operating system (such as a mobile phone) is immune to exploits.
There have been some worldwide scandals such as the CIA that have been spying on everyone's computers and phones by exploiting an unknown zero day bug for years.
It is therefore very difficult to defend against this type of attack, even if there are effective protection systems, which, however, risk slowing down operations on the computer.
In particular situations, for example, you can activate protection from Exploits in Windows Defender (Windows 10)
6) Phishing
A phishing attack occurs when what appears to be a familiar site attempts to access computer memory.
These are the typical emails of the type " Your bank account has been deactivated, click here to reactivate it " and ask for the bank password.
The phishing website is a perfect copy of the original site and misleads the less experienced and inattentive.
These attacks are difficult to detect and are becoming increasingly sophisticated, especially spread through Whatsapp and Facebook.
Antivirus programs do not protect against this risk because, technically, it is not a virus.
Paid antivirus suites all have integrated anti-phishing protection.
There are also ways to protect yourself from phishing threats without paying for an expensive security suite.
You can check the secure websites with some online tools and follow the written instructions on the article: Protect bank accounts online .
To continue the topic, you can read the important guide to online security against hackers, phishing and cyber criminals .
