Antivirus  spftware are programs capable of identifying and deleting any known or potential virus. Having an antivirus software is really important to maintain computer stability and privacy, especially if you are running any Windows Operative System.

You might have a virus if:

·         your computer displays pop-ups and unusual text boxes

·         Your home page on Internet Explorer or Firefox has changed unexpectedly

·         Your programs are unstable and crash frequently

·         The performance of your computer slows down

Viruses are responsible for the loss of data, Operative System crashes, hackers bypassing Windows defenses and even stealing banking information or any sensitive data.

Having an antivirus is a must. The only problem is that there are hundreds of antivirus software out there, and all claiming to be the best one. There should be a couple of things you should be aware before buying an antivirus, installing a free one or deciding whether the one you have will keep you protected. Here are three of the most important things you should pay attention:

Updates:

It is very important for any antivirus to get updated constantly, it is its primary weapon against viruses. Antivirus software will search for signature, in other words a unique string of bytes that known viruses share. Keeping your antivirus up to date decreases the chances of getting infected. An antivirus that updates more than once a day is a good sign of a good antivirus, it tell us how much effort is being placed into the antivirus so you are protected.

It is really important for an antivirus to have real-time monitoring constantly keeping an eye on programs and even files you are about to open. This method will not attempt to identify known viruses; instead it will monitor the program’s behavior and ask the user what to do if the program does something suspicious. A good antivirus will freeze the program until the user decides what to do with it.

This method will analyze the program’s instructions and it does it before executed. The antivirus will basically debug the executable and determine whether it can be dangerous or not, for example: if the program contains instructions to delete Windows system files it will most likely be marked as a virus.