Do you have a question about Antivirus Software? How it works, which ones are the best for your device, Free or Paid software? We can answer these and many other questions quickly and easily. Just browse through this FAQ page and see what you can find. If the question you have is not listed here, please don’t hesitate to contact us and we’ll respond as soon as we are able.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

WILL ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE AFFECT MY COMPUTER’S PERFORMANCE?

Any software you use will affect your computer since even the best devices have limited resources. The most thorough scans you can run on your computer do use a good bit of CPU and processing power, but overall, you’ll likely never notice that your antivirus is running in the background.

The short answer is “yes”, but you may be giving up a lot if you do. Free antivirus software usually includes only the most bare-bones protection, and in a fast-changing and increasingly dangerous digital world, you get what you pay for. A free antivirus can give you basic security, but if you truly want 360-degree protection, you’re better off with paid software solutions.

This will change based on your needs, but some of the most popular features today include:

  • Real-time scanning, which helps detect threats before they become problems
  • Automatic updates to keep your computer prepared for the most recent known threats
  • Browser protection to stay safe while you browse the web
  • Parental controls to keep your kids safe while they surf the web

It may not yet rise to a “must-have” feature, but you should always search for software that includes it. Ransomware is becoming a bigger problem, and it can cost you a lot of money and grief if you fall victim to an attack. Losing your sensitive data and thousands of dollars is a tough pill to swallow.

Many operating systems include default firewalls that cover standard threats, but the issue is that most hackers have discovered tactics to get around them. Antivirus firewalls are usually loaded with advanced threat databases and can help defend you against threats more proactively. While they’re not necessary, they’re a great addition to your antivirus.

Absolutely, yes. Today, most of our computer time is spent online on our browsers, whether it’s watching shows and movies, shopping, or even working. While it’s great that we’re more connected than ever, it also means that we’re more vulnerable than we’ve ever been.

Especially on our browsers, hackers have multiple ways of attacking us, be it through a malicious website or even a safe-looking application or add-on. Browser protection gives you the peace of mind to visit your favorite sites and explore the web with a lower risk of being hacked or infected.

You can, but you probably shouldn’t. Antivirus software is highly sensitive to changes on your computer, and it’s constantly seeking out things that seem out of the ordinary. It does this by keeping a large database of virus signatures and constantly comparing files against it. You may think that doing this twice as much means double the security, but it actually means less protection. Antivirus software will generally see other antivirus installed on your computer as a threat, since it includes signatures for most of the known viruses, and instead of focusing on actual threats, will spend its resources restricting other antivirus software on your computer.

There is a long-standing myth that Apple devices are completely immune to viruses, and while it’s stemmed from the fact that security issues seem to be fewer and far apart, it’s simply not true. Macs may be the safer choice for computers, but they’re still vulnerable to targeted attacks and malware, so you should protect them from infection.

Most antiviruses will keep you notified of their activity but depending on what alerts you’re receiving you may need to take action. If you keep seeing alerts about files being quarantined, or threats being discovered, it may be worth it to run a deeper scan, or even call customer support to get professional assistance with removing threats from your computer or device.

Yes. With each passing year we’re spending additional time our phones, and we use them for more tasks and leisure than ever before. From web-browsing to streaming video and even handling most of our shopping, we fill our phones with highly sensitive information about our personal and professional lives. We assume they’re safe because we don’t often hear about viruses on our smartphones, but these are rarely the ways our phones are attacked. A small application that blocks most hacks, malware, and ransomware is a small price to pay for knowing your data is safe.