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As online cloud services proliferate and social media services start to pare back the level of privacy accorded to their users, the need to protect personal data is more important than ever.
Viruses are programs that steal and destroy information, while spyware squats within a system and also steals information. As consumers become more tech-savvy and ever more bargain-hungry, there is a growing amount of free anti-virus software available online, with more heavy-duty protection attached for a fee.
The McAfee and Norton brands are the most recognizable computer security services and are both available via an annual subscription. They provide both antivirus and spyware scanner software. Both offer free trial periods so users can see whether they might be prepared to lay out some cash for the whole product.
Free antivirus scanners, while offering a lower level of protection, are still highly effective against most types of infection. So called ‘freeware’ includes Panda Cloud Antivirus, the only free cloud service yet available, AVG Antivir, Avast!, Comodo Antivirus Plus and AVIRA Antivir. Top spyware scanners include Webroot Spy Sweeper, Windows Defender, SpyBot Search & Destroy and Hijack This.
Users have to be aware of what a free product will protect them against. Some may recognize viruses or spyware but not be as adept at removing the infection from the machine, while others may start on request rather than running in the background or running scheduled checks when a computer is turned on.
Free antivirus software is becoming much more accessible, user-friendly and effective, giving netizens who take their antivirus software seriously another option to add to their arsenal against online infection.
