In this digital age, antivirus and internet security have become common terms. But one thing you should know is that these two terms are different. They are not just different as they look, but they also differ in their performances. Well, you don’t have to scratch your head over it because we are here to help you differentiate them. Let’s start it off, shall we?
What is an Antivirus?
This is a term that has been common over the years, and it is one of the earliest security programs used today. The correct definition of antivirus is a software that has been designed to detect and destroy any form of the virus in your computer.
The viruses that were popular in the past weren’t as lethal as the latest versions are. Most of the viruses out there will replicate and spread themselves over a network. As they spread, some viruses can damage new files, which is very common. Other viruses will disrupt the standard computer functions. All in all, these viruses were just but petty annoyance in your computer.
How do they Work?
The antivirus is designed to scan any signature of virus that it knows. In other words, it will be developed with a specific ‘definition’ or ‘identification’ of a virus. In this case, they will detect a virus according to how the developer described it to be. If it doesn’t recognize a virus, it will mark it as a safe program.
However, the antivirus developers will constantly update the antivirus database of virus signature so that it can identify the latest viruses. This can be done by downloading the new signatures from the developer’s servers. If the virus signatures are not in its database, the antivirus will not recognize such threats.
In this case, the antivirus will run using the heuristic method. This is a method of monitoring and evaluating the specific activities of an application. Here, the antivirus will determine if it behaves like a virus or not. From here, the antivirus will notify the users of any suspicious activities on the computer along with the suggested actions. Nonetheless, this is not accurate. Still, it lets security experts and developers keep up with the ever-growing numbers of viruses online.
The antivirus programs will offer a specific security function, which is to protect your computer from a virus attack and infestation. Since it is designed to protect your computer, it will run in the background without any major effect on the performance of your computer.
What is Internet Security?
Almost similar to antivirus is internet security. As the name suggests, this is more associated with the internet connection to your computer. Internet security is a branch of computer security that entails various security measures that are exercised for ensuring the security of transactions that are done online. This also included the browsing of any website.Content filtering helps block the access of any malicious content and provides safety from cyber threats.
In most cases, internet security will entail more than one application that has been integrated into a single interface. Most internet security suites will come with an antivirus program within. Generally, the internet security package will protect you from viruses, offer a firewall, anti-malware, anti-spyware, and email protection programs.[adsense]
In this case, the firewall will be designed to protect real-time attacks by filtering any suspicious threats from the local network or the internet. The anti-malware and anti-spyware programs will protect you against threats that are not the same as the regular viruses. Spyware and malware are programs that can damage the computer, steal your sensitive information, and even hold your system hostage of a ransom. That is why some come with the ransomware.
How They Work
With an internet security suite, you will easily track and monitor the security health of your computer. You also get other tools like defragmenting tools, uninstallers, memory cleanup apps, as well as network monitoring tools. These apps and tools will help to maintain the health of your computer in one place.
The internet security suite is usually more complex, and it will require more power and memory of your system compared to the antivirus program. But if you have a stable system with high specs, you will not experience lagging or poor performances.
How Different Are They?
- Functions. An antivirus will detect and remove viruses or infected files from your system, whereas internet security will protect users against threats from the internet.
- Cost. Internet security tends to be more expensive than an antivirus
- The protection. While the antivirus will protect your system from viruses, internet security will protect it from spam, spyware, computer worms, malware, viruses, and phishing.
- Furthermore, an antivirus will offer you the necessary protection, but internet security will provide you with protection against internet threats only
- Warnings. Both will warn you about unsafe websites, but internet security goes further to block unsafe URLs.
If you will be using the internet too often, the best option is to go with the internet security so that you can avoid giving way for the virus, malware, and spyware from getting in your system. But if you don’t use it too often, you should go with the regular antivirus. This offers your system the needed security and protection, especially if you don’t always connect to the internet.
Even though these two security programs are different, they do have some similarities. Here is a look at the similarities of antivirus and internet security:
i. Both of them warn the unsafe sites that you open
ii. Both programs will check the hard disk and USB drive for virus and get rid of any threat found
iii. They can both block and eliminate the virus and spyware from your system
iv. Both programs have the auto-update feature
Now you should be in a position to determine if you need an antivirus or internet security, but the most recommended option is an antivirus. It will offer you the required protection. If you are looking for the best, check out the top 10 antivirus software that you can use for your computer system. Some also have internet security in their packages. Just be sure to pick one that has a good reputation.
