Every small business owner should prioritize using
effective software to prevent virus infection.
Whenever someone begins their search for online security, they ultimately
discover there are two major types of protection: antivirus and anti-malware.
Which leads them to the inevitable query: What’s the difference between antivirus and
anti-malware? Definition To best understand, let’s quickly define viruses and
malware; - A virus
is a piece of code that is capable of copying itself in order to do damage to
your computer, including corrupting your system or destroying data.
- Malware,
on the other hand, is an umbrella term that stands for a variety of malicious
software, including Trojans, spyware, worms, adware, ransomware - and yes-
viruses.
So logically, all viruses are
malware, but not all malware are viruses. Differences in
protectionAntivirus usually deals with the older, more established
threats, such as Trojans, viruses, and worms. Anti-malware, by contrast, typically focuses on newer
stuff, such as polymorphic malware (allowing subroutines to use variables of
different types at different times), and malware delivered by zero-day
exploits. No one tool can catch everything, which is why security
experts recommend a ‘layered’ approach.The most complete strategy is to use an antivirus program
to catch the classic threats, and an anti-malware program for the newer,
more advanced dangers. Note that some providers are now packaging anti-virus and anti-malware together in one product.From a performance perspective, there’s no negative
impact of running two real-time scanners at the same time on your machines; most
anti-malware software is lightweight, easy-to-run, and designed to work
alongside antivirus. Top Antivirus
software:Solid Antivirus programs come at a price, however are
reasonably priced. Top names are McAfee,
Norton, Webroot, and Bitdefender along with other providers.For a side-by-side comparison, refer to these links from PC Magazine and Consumer
Reports. Top
Anti-malware software:Anti-malware programs can be either free or at-cost,
usually based on seat licenses. The best
offerings can be combined with Antivirus programs as well. Top names in antimalware are Malwarebytes,
Webroot, McAfee, Norton, Avast, TrendMicro, and Bitdefender. As with anti-virus, there are also other
anti-malware providers.For a side-by-side comparison, refer to these links from PC
Magazine and Computer
Fixperts. SummaryEach small business owner should have a robust prevention
program as part of an overall
cybersecurity strategy. One key to
note is to set your antivirus and anti-malware to detect and install updates
automatically. ACT will update this advisory as new threats and
prevention software becomes available. |