Antivirus software is not just an application; it’s a lot more for your PC. A lot of antivirus programs come with several features which can make your PC safer and your life simpler. Here are some of the common and must-have features of antivirus programs you must consider when buying an internet security software.
Scanning
Online antivirus scan is one of the important features of the best antivirus program. Several programs scan files for infections at their own schedules. Scanning a file can make a drastic change in the safety of your computer. Here are some popular types of scans your antivirus must perform –
- On-Access Scan – This way, an antivirus repeatedly analyzes your files. It scans them when you download any file to your PC. It analyzes every new file you use. This feature is important because viruses also come from any infected data and attach themselves to the files which are stored on your PC already.
- Manual or On-Demand Scan – As the name suggests, you can manually scan the system and ensure that there is no malware when your PC is working slowly. You can also just conduct a general scan if you want to know if everything is alright.
- Scheduled Scan – It is another important feature if you don’t like your PC to slow down when a scan is running. You can set the time to when you keep your PC idle to perform a scheduled scan.
- Heuristic or Deep Scan – It is offered to detect and remove any virus which is newly identified. It automatically performs heuristic scan to know if your PC has been infected.
Added Security
Along with virus scanning, your antivirus online protects your PC in several other ways.
- Email Scan – Infected emails are highly responsible for spreading viruses. The email protection feature in your antivirus program scans your emails automatically in POP3 accounts like Gmail, Hotmail, AOL, Yahoo and MSN.
- Blocking Scripts – It targets Java scripts and VBS used by your computer in order to run specific applications and accessing websites. When a script is working suspiciously, script blocking detects that and prompts you when any problem occurs.
- Auto Clean – This feature removes any malicious files and viruses automatically when they are found on your PC. Some programs quarantine such items and delete them manually. You no longer need to worry about cleaning up manually as a result of this.
Automatic Updates
Along with the above features, you should also ensure that your antivirus software automatically downloads and installs updates on its signatures database for providing the best protection. When it comes to selecting antivirus protection for your PC, ensure that the software comes with the auto-update feature enabled. A lot of new features are provided for antivirus protection from time to time. Make sure you get all the important features in your antivirus software, especially when you are buying it. This feature can keep your antivirus up-to-date and enable it to detect all types of new security threats. An antivirus solution blocks threats in an efficient way and keeps your system running in an excellent and new condition.