Every computer user isn’t so sane that they grab all the technical functionalities. Many times those users have to face a dilemma to understand the hard-tech terms. Similarly, when common users download and install an antivirus solution, they don’t know which antivirus program is suited to their system. Because they don’t know which features and functionality a good antivirus should contain. If you ever faced the same dilemma and still confronting it, look for some crucial tips. Then, read this write-off to learn about the functions and features a good antivirus should contain.

Blocks random Ads

A good antivirus must have all the capabilities to protect you against threats and viruses. But the most crucial feature that antivirus should contain is – blocking useless ad pop-ups. When you visit some malicious sites then these random and useless ads prompt frequently to your screen or these useless pop-ups irritate you endlessly. This will also slow down your PC’s performance. Hence, at the time when you are thinking off to buy an advanced version of antivirus then make sure that the antivirus contains the feature to block useless ad pop-ups.

Real-Time Protection

Another important feature that comes up by default in a good and reliable antivirus is – real-time protection. As we all know an antivirus program is designed while keeping only a single thought in mind that, it must detect the malware. But every product doesn’t provide real-time protection, some ineffective programs fail to protect the system from viruses. Now, you’ll be wondering how to find out the ineffective program. The sign of an ineffective program is that it forces you to do a manual process or scan to search for viruses. Whereas, an effective program will do an automatic process and scan to block the viruses in just a few mouse clicks. This is a very important feature that every good antivirus must contain.

Supports Automatic Updates

As you all are familiar with, how much malware is risky to your system? And new threats and malware have continuously been developed. So, an antivirus that supports manual processing updates can fail to get some additional protection features. Whereas, an antivirus that is highly compatible with automatic updates will save your side from malware a bit more extra. An automatic update is an easy method to get the latest or most recent updates frequently. It also takes very little time to update the old features into the newer ones. Thus, always choose the automatic update option to get the latest features regularly. So, always ensure that your antivirus has the potential to support automatic updates frequently. 

Clean all the junk files

Junk files are other harmful elements that reduce the speed of your system. Sadly, some ineffective programs can’t clear the junk files automatically. However, there is also a vast variety of trusted software that supports the auto-clean junk files process. Junk files can harm your other important documents or fill up storage space. Thus, it is very necessary to eradicate all the junk and corrupt files for the performance of the system. Viruses can make the system lethargic and steal your system’s effectiveness. Therefore, always use a tailored antivirus program, like antivirus for iPhone, that deletes or blocks the viruses instantly to improve the performance level of your system.

When you browse any malicious sites, then some internet browsing files are generated automatically and run in the background, which also takes a lot of storage space. These internet browsing files also reduce the execution speed of your system and cause frequent crashes. Hence, ensures that the antivirus which you are thinking of downloading and installing can clean the junk or internet browsing files automatically.

User-Friendly Interface

One more basic and crucial feature that must have in a good antivirus is – its user interface. The user interface should be designed in such an effective and understandable way that is understood by every user. If the antivirus program’s interface is complicated then the user has to face many troubles while using it as they find it troublesome to understand complex and confusing interfaces. On the contrary, an easy and friendly user interface lets users use most of the antivirus functionality. Thus, always use an antivirus program that has a friendly user interface.

Scheduled Scanning

Scheduled scanning is another important feature that must be in a good antivirus program. The schedule scan procedure allows users to set the schedule to scan the viruses at a specific time. Schedule scanning can save most of the time and search for viruses, and malware meantime. It is a great feature to ensure the productivity of your antivirus and system as well. So, make sure your antivirus program can do scheduled scanning.

Web Protection

Network protection is another most important feature which should be in your antivirus program. Network protection is also referred to as Web protection. That means there are various unauthorized or malware software that contain malware and other viruses. Hence, to protect your system from malware and viruses you should install an antivirus program that has the potential to block or detect all the harmful threats. Additionally, antivirus software is also capable of providing you with complete web protection.

Manual Process VS Automatic Process

The most common question which hits every computer user’s mind is – which process is better either a manual process or an automatic process. Manual processing is not that bad or ineffective, but it takes too much time to get the processing has been done. On the contrary, the automatic process takes very little time and at the same time, it is a very relaxing process. Some attributes can be skipped through manual processing. On the other hand, automatic processing can get every single feature or update. For an automatic update, the user just needs to turn on the automatic scan option and leave the rest of the work on it.

Viruses, malware, adware, spyware, and other harmful threats can cause various problems to your system. As time passes, every new thing becomes an older one and loses its effectiveness or strength. Similarly, when our system gets older, it loses all its powerful features and functions. After becoming sluggish, it turns out to be an easy target of every virus or even hackers. To protect our system from these harmful threats and malware you’ll need to get your system’s strength back. To get it back you have to install an appropriate and reliable antivirus program. But did you know several features should be in a good antivirus program? If not, then this write-up is for you. We’ve above collected some crucial features that must be had in a good antivirus. Read all the above-referenced features carefully and thoroughly or get the most out of your PC!

Suggested:

The 3-2-1 Backup Rule – Data Protection Strategy.

10 Ways To Protect Yourself From Ransomware.

The post What Security features must-have in Good Antivirus? appeared first on Tricky Enough.

Ransomware is malicious code that infects a computer system and prevents access to files until the user pays the cyber criminal a ransom in order to restore access.

What is Ransomware?

The short answer to the question what is ransomware is it’s basically a virus that encrypts your files then locks your PC and finally displays a message with instructions on how the ransom can be paid to get the code to unlock the Files & Computer. More  or the entire hard drive. The only way to unlock the files or drive is the get the decryption key from the attacker.

Ransomware was invented in 1996 and soon became popular in Russia. It has however spread internationally and is now big business. For example, the most famous ransomware, Cryptolocker, made over 3 million in ransom payments before being taken down. The FBI estimates that another ransomware, Cryptowall, had made over $18 million by June 2016.

Payment is made using Bitcoins which allows the attackers to remain anonymous.

Many computer users who found that they have been attacked don’t have advanced computer knowledge and therefore opt to pay the ransom especially if the files are important to them.

One of the reasons it is currently one of the biggest concerns for security professionals is that once a computer is attacked and the files encrypted, there is usually no other way to get the files back without the decryption key. Current ransomware such as Cryptowall uses asymmetric encryption techniques where the decryption key differs from the encryption key and isn’t stored next to encryption data.

Ransomware must, therefore, be stopped before it infects a computer because the data will become unrecoverable. This article takes you through some of the steps you can take to prevent your computer from being infected and what to do if the unthinkable happens.

Important points to keep yourself safe from Ransomware.

1. Backup Regularly

You must back up important files regularly. In fact, with the proliferation of cloud services, you have no excuse not to back up. The best way to backup is to have one copy of files for a cloud service and another copy in physical portable media. The physical copy should be read-only to prevent accidental overwriting or deletion.

2. Check Your Back Up Often

Secondly, check your backup often to ensure that your data is intact. Even cloud services can be hacked, and physical media can get damaged.

3. Be Paranoid About Email

Ransomware is primarily distributed through fake email phishing messages. Phishing is a criminal practice where an attacker sends you an email that appears to come from someone you trust such as your bank. The attacker will typically ask you to click on a link or open an attachment. The instant you do so, your machine gets infected. Never click links in emails unless you are 100 percent sure about the identity of the person sending the email and never download attachments from unknown senders. Instead get rid of this kind of emails.

4. Don’t Trust Social Media

Cyber criminals also use social media to distribute ransomware. As with email don’t click on links from friends and never download attachments. Your friend’s accounts may have infected, files and they may not even be aware that they have sent you a message.

5. Show File Extensions

If you are running Windows, set your computer to show files extensions. This way, you can easily see the type of file, for example, .docx, .pdf etc. Malicious files will usually have extensions such as .exe, .vbs and .scr. If you find files ending with these types of extensions you should be very suspicious.

6. Update Regularly

Set your computer to update the operating system regularly and don’t ignore system notifications. Software companies regularly release updates to patch security holes they have discovered.

7. Use a Good Antivirus

There are many antivirus products, but not all have the capability to protect you from ransomware. The good ones are able to protect your files once a threat is detected. You will need to spend some money on a good antivirus. Check virus testing sites to see if the product has anti-ransomware features and have a look at the test scores.

8. Find Out the Name of the Ransomware

If your computer is infected, find out the name of the virus or malware as security companies have managed to crack older versions so you may be able to get your files back.

9. Disconnect the Machine if Something is Amiss

If you notice some weird process going on, yank the power cable or Internet connection immediately. Depending on the ransomware, there may be a good chance the malware has not yet erased the encryption key in which case a security expert may able to restore your files.

10. Don’t Pay the Ransom

If you have done all of the above things and your computer still gets infected, don’t pay the ransom. Payment of Ransom is what drives the business. If everyone refused to pay, the business would die, and we would all be safe.

Conclusion

Finally, if you do become infected, report the crime to the authorities and collaborate to help put an end to this despicable practice.

The post 10 Ways to Protect Yourself from Ransomware appeared first on Tricky Enough.