Good antivirus software may be the most common tool, which does not mean that other softwares such as AntiSpyware and AntiAdware are also becoming increasingly important. What we will surely ask ourselves is if we are not talking about the same type of software or if we really should choose between one type or another, or should we choose to have both as these are from outstanding vendors in the market.
Three types of software to protect our security
We are talking about a computer virus, as a malicious code that is hidden both in programs and files and that spreads from one user to another by programming a file. The virus is loaded onto our computer without our consent and causes the computer to not work properly.
For identify these threats we use an antivirus, which identifies them through signature-based detection. The antivirus has the power to not only detect, but also block and eliminate the threat. Also, it is in charge of carrying out regular analyzes and other deeper ones, capable of penetrating even the deepest part of our computer to find possible threats.
On the other we have the AntiSpyware which are applications that use heuristic-based detection to proactively find source code that may indicate a threat. These can detect, eliminate and prevent any spyware on our computer, which tries track our activity on the network to collect information. Antispyware can be found as separate programs, although the most normal thing is that they are included within a security program.
The software AntiAdware is the one in charge of tracking and eliminating worms, malware, Trojans and other types of infections that we could suffer from on the PC, specially developed for show us advertising. They also offer the possibility to choose what to do with malicious programs, either to delete them or to quarantine them. In addition, it allows us to know if a cookie is harmless or malicious.
When should we use each one
Although there are many users who confuse the terms of antivirus with AntiSpyware or AntiAdware, the truth is that they are quite different from each other. Antivirus is not only based on viruses, but they also cover other wide range of dangers such as malware, spyware, rootkits, keyloggers, computer worms, etc. That is why it is a tool indispensable for our day to day.
If we notice that our computer is slower, the programs take longer to load, constant advertising is shown or a lot of spam reaches us, then when we must install an AntiAdware. In the event that we are concerned that they may steal important data from us of our PC that contain important data for our security and privacy (card numbers, bank, etc.), the AntiSpyware option is the one that we must consider.
Likewise, beyond installing this type of program, there is no greater security than common sense to be safe from any type of malware. Not visiting pages of dubious origin or not downloading files from unknown origins, can help us avoid any scare.
