Reasons Why Need an Antivirus Software

"Is it really necessary to have an antivirus installed on my devices?" Giving an affirmative or negative answer to this question, which is often heard in different environments, from the most technical and specialist to end users without much knowledge of technology, never takes a short time. It usually generates long discussions about the performance of the equipment, the usability of the security solutions, the privacy of the user and a number of other topics that often extend the conversation.

I already know that when working in a security company like ESET, you will be thinking that my answer is going to be strongly biased towards yes, which is totally true; however, as a security professional who has been working on these issues for several years, I have learned a lot about threats and their ways of spreading. Therefore, I am going to list seven facts that will help you form an idea about what to do.

1. Diversity of threats

Today there are many types of threats that we find spreading and affecting users. Although the term "antivirus" was coined in the collective subconscious, these types of tools have evolved from detecting only computer viruses to becoming complete security solutions, which provide many other functionalities such as firewall , antispam and antiphishing filters or scanning of memory, among others, that provide comprehensive protection to the system and allow you to navigate safely in the current threat context.

2. Variety in the way of spreading

Undoubtedly, the use of Social Engineering is one of the main mechanisms used by attackers to spread their threats and many times user interaction is needed to run a file, open a document or download something on their mobile device. From there, the infection begins.

However, it is not the only thing that attackers use, as there are techniques that do not require a user to interact with the threat in order for it to be installed. For example, injecting an iframe into a vulnerable website can lead an attacker to install something on the user's device without the user being aware of what is happening. But a security solution will detect this malicious behavior.

3. Growth in the number of detections

A few years ago, when I started working at ESET, we talked about that on average around 200,000 different samples were processed every day; at the end of 2016 this number was close to 300,000. This without forgetting that, only from ESET, updates of several thousand signatures for malware targeting Windows are released every few days.

If to the above we add the fact that everything we see in ESET is not the only thing that can happen in the cybercrime ecosystem, these numbers may be higher.

4. Vulnerable technologies accommodate different threats

Computer threats not only take advantage of flaws and vulnerabilities in particular versions of an operating system, but also in applications, which opens the possibility of an infection regardless of the version of the operating system used. In addition, to the above is added the variety of languages used by attackers, which extend their possibilities of affecting systems: from compiled languages ​​to scripting they are used to attack various platforms.

5. Affected platforms

Without a doubt, most malicious code is focused on affecting Windows operating systems, but it is becoming more and more common to find threats to other systems such as Mac OS X or Linux , despite the fact that many continue to believe in their invulnerability. There is even malware for mobile systems like Android or iOS, so it's time to understand that there are no risk-free platforms.

6. Threat concentration

It is a reality that a security solution will not stop all the attacks that a user may be a victim of, but it will serve to prevent infection in the vast majority of cases. Considering the growth in the amount of malicious code circulating, it is important not to leave protection to chance.

7. Use of the device

The use that is given to the device is essential to prevent infection. When it is shared, the chances of being a victim of a cybercriminal increase; For example, have you thought about what your son, cousin, uncle or girlfriend can download when you lend him your equipment so that he can be distracted for a while?

Beyond the discussion about who you should or should not lend your phone to, someone who gains control for a moment could execute something malicious by mistake or ignorance. And if we talk about strangers, the possibility increases and includes the potential intention to do harm.

It is true that having a security solution is not enough. Ensuring that we are going to be safe goes beyond just having an antivirus installed: knowing the threats and how they spread, in addition to making adequate use of technology, mainly keeping operating systems and applications updated , help to have real protection against all kinds of threats.

There are those who say that having an antivirus installed extends the possibility of an attacker to compromise a system, because they could take advantage of the vulnerabilities of these tools. And to a certain extent they are right: installing a new application on the system extends the attack surface. But, in this particular case, there are many more threats it helps prevent than it could cause. In addition, if we are talking about a product backed by a reliable security company with a track record in the market (that's right, I was also thinking of ESET) these problems are solved very quickly, preventing an attacker from taking advantage of it.