Antivirus Programs: Methods and Benefits Essay

Today, people rely on to create, store, and manage critical information, many times via a home computer network information transmited over networks has a higher degree of security risk than information kept in a user’s home or company premises. Thus, it is crucial that they take measures to protect their computers and data from loss, damage, and misuse resulting from computer security risks. Antiirus program are an effective way to protect a computer against viruses. An antivirus program protects a computer against viruses by identifying and removing any computer viruses found in memory, ontorage media, or on incoming files. ! When you purchase a new computer, it often includes antivirus software . antivirus program work by scanning for programs that attempt to modify the boot program, the operating system, and other programs that normally are includes antivirus software . antivirus program work by scanning for programs that attempt to modify the boot program, the operating system, and other programs that normally are read from but not modified. In addition, many antivirus programs automatically scan files (Bulowski) (Bulowski) (Bulowski, Protection and Precaution Keeping Your computer Healthy, 2008)download from the web, e-mail attachment, opended files, and all types of remoble media inserted in the computer (karanos 201 – 205) One technique that antivirus programs use indentify a virus is to look for virus signatures, or virus definitions, which are known specific patterns of virus code. According to Shelly and Cashman (Antivirus Programs), many vendors of antivirus programs allow registered users to update virus signarure files automatically from the Web at no cost for a specified time. Updating the antivirus. Bullowski points out that most antivirus also protect against worms and Trojan horse (55-61).Program’s signature files regularly is important, because it will download any new virus definitinion that have been added since the last update. Methods that guarantee a computer or network is safe from computer viruses simply do not exist. Installing updating and using an antivirus program, though, is an effective techniques to safeguard your computer from loss.