Security is an integral part of every computer, whether it is a personal or business device. Failure to protect the machine makes them vulnerable to varied sources of viruses. Antivirus and anti-malware are the two most common types of security software which have been developed. Even though the two terms sound similar, they are slightly different. On the one hand, antivirus software often offers general-purpose protection measures against pre-existing exploits and viruses. On the other hand, anti-malware is used to guard the computer against a specific threat (Meng et al., 2016). It means the latter is a more specialized layer of defense on viruses such as Trojan and ransomware. Both types of software are critical in promoting the security of computers.
The main examples of antivirus include Avast, Norton, and Avira. Consequently, the most common malware comprises MacAfee, Kaspersky, and Bullguard. They help protect the user against data loss and financial implications. In simple words, they are both used to combat the possible threats which may damage the information on the computer. The installed antivirus program will efficiently delete all online threats, while the anti-malware will actively block the ransomware before they invade the computer.
Over the past years, I have chosen to use both antivirus and antimalware. In such a case, I am using Avast and Bullguard to help in protecting my computer. The two mechanisms have worked to complement one another and promote maximum protection. The use of the double strands has ensured that the viruses are promptly scanned, detected, and removed. As a user, I have learned that no single security approach should be used to replace another. Therefore, I will advise other users to work with a combination to help in achieving maximum protection against viruses.
Reference
Meng, G., Xue, Y., Mahinthan, C., Narayanan, A., Liu, Y., Zhang, J., & Chen, T. (2016). Mystique: Evolving android malware for auditing anti-malware tools. In Proceedings of the 11th ACM on Asia conference on computer and communications security (pp. 365-376). Web.