Antivirus

An antivirus is a security program that detects, blocks and removes malicious software —viruses, trojans, ransomware ✕ Ransomware is malware that encrypts your files and demands a ransom to release them. An up-to-date backup is the best protection against it. More in the glossary → , spyware ✕ Spyware is malware that secretly gathers information about you — such as keystrokes, passwords, or browsing habits — and sends it to third parties. More in the glossary → — before it harms your device. To recognize it, it uses two complementary methods: comparing files against a database ✕ A database stores a site’s content —posts, pages, comments— in an organized way so it can be retrieved instantly. WordPress uses MySQL or MariaDB. More in the glossary → of known threat signatures, and watching for suspicious behavior to catch new malware ✕ Malware (from "malicious software") is the umbrella term for any harmful software — viruses, trojans, ransomware, spyware — that damages, spies on, or hijacks devices. More in the glossary → too (heuristic analysis). Modern suites go beyond classic scanning to include real-time protection ✕ Real-time protection watches the system continuously and blocks threats the instant they appear, not just during a manual scan. More in the glossary → , an anti- phishing ✕ Phishing is fraudulent messages that impersonate a trusted sender (like a bank or courier) to trick you into handing over passwords or login details. More in the glossary → filter, a firewall and sometimes a VPN or password manager. No antivirus replaces caution and keeping your system updated, but it does add a very valuable layer of defense. Which one protects most reliably, with fewer false positives and little performance impact, is covered in the best antivirus comparison.