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AntiVirus Software Comparison Chart
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| StarReviews compares the top Antivirus Software of 2012. The chart below depicts which Antivirus Software outweighs its competition in price, usability, effectiveness and how well the company supports customers. |
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Consumer's Guide To AntiVirus Software
A study in 2005 discovered that nearly 76% of Americans owned a personal computer. Judging from todayís technological advances, the percentage must have skyrocketed over the last few years. Everyone today knows that if you own a computer, itís near impossible not to have antivirus software to protect your virtual belongings. Antivirus software is used to prevent, detect and remove viruses, worms, and other harmful invaders from your computer.
The most common method of antivirus software uses signature-based detection. With this, antivirus software can compare the contents of a file to an encyclopedia of viruses and must search each file in pieces as well as a whole. Because viruses and worms are continuously being created, the encyclopedia becomes quickly outdated. It is for this reason that most antivirus software must be updated on a yearly basis, in order to track down the most recent viruses.
While antivirus software can seriously decrease the chances of a virus infecting your computer, it is still a work in progress. In February 2010 a test was conducted to see how well antivirus software protects computers. Some software proved to be expertly effective with scores as high as 99.6% and the lowest score was 81.8%. Although no software actually scored 100%, antivirus software is constantly coming out with new and improved updates and could realistically obtain a perfect score in the near future.
How the Computer Virus Started
Advances in Internet technology and computers have certainly created a convenient environment that many could not live without today. Of course, to every hero there is a villain and viruses, hackers and worms are the "Lex Luthors" of the computer world.
Before the Internet, viruses were spread through infected floppy disks and antivirus software was nowhere near what it is today. Software was updated infrequently and scans were done by checking only executable files and certain sectors of disks. When the Internet became popular, however, viruses evolved and began to spread.
Viruses created in the 1980ís were meant to simply duplicate and had no intention of damage or harm. After toying with the encoding, however, programmers found that they could create viruses that would manipulate and destroy a computer's data.
The first effective virus created was called the "Creeper Virus" which was an experimental self-duplicating program written by Bob Thomas in 1971. It would display the message "I'm the creeper, catch me if you can!" but did no real harm to the computer and was quickly deleted. By 1974, the "Wabbit Virus" was able to make copies of itself and clog computer systems, eventually crashing the infected computer. 1981 brought about the first large-scale virus dubbed "Elk Cloner" which attacked Apple II systems. The term "virus" was coined by computer scientist Frederick Cohen in 1983.
In 1995, the first Macro virus, called "Concept," was created and infected Microsoft Word documents. By the year 2000, viruses were widespread. In May of 2000, the ILOVEYOU worm was created and for four years held the title of most costly virus to businesses and caused nearly ten billion dollars' worth of damage. In January of 2004, a mailer worm called "MyDoom" was released and is still holds the record of fastest-spreading mass mailer worm.
What to Look For in AntiVirus Software
Itís easy to get caught up in all of the bells and whistles while looking for antivirus software. Some of the best and more important features should include virus and spyware protection, email scans, file protection, quick scan, real time scans and updates, and identity protection.
Pricing can range from as little as $20 a year for basic protection to $80 a year for expert protection. Some antivirus software can be purchased over the Internet with a credit card and can be automatically renewed each year if you choose. Other antivirus software must be purchased every year in stores. However, almost all software will send you notifications between 30 and 90 days before the protection is about to expire. This helpful reminder will ensure that you are never without antivirus protection.
You will also want to make sure that the antivirus protection you choose is user-friendly and easy to install. Make sure the antivirus software you decide on has excellent customer service and perhaps some kind of tutorial in case you run into a problem or question. Many antivirus software companies today have round-the-clock customer support.
The most important part of finding decent antivirus software is research. Find out how long the company has been in business and compare apples-to-apples what they offer that other antivirus software does not and vise versa. Pricing is also a key factor. Make sure you are getting the biggest bang for your buck by calling customer service and asking questions.
Technology has come a long way in the last thirty years. Today, if you own a computer you should seriously consider purchasing or downloading antivirus software. It is the only way to ensure that your computer and important data will be secure from viruses and hackers.
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