The news is full of reports of millions of people’s Internet devices being hacked or stolen. While a large portion of these attacks can be attributed to hackers’ expertise, there are other factors at play as well — for instance, the lack of security tools. There are many free antivirus programs that offer solid protection against the most frequent threats.

Find a free antivirus that is able to perform a solid malware detection. The ability of an antivirus to differentiate between malicious intruders www.ulrichtechnologies.com/tech/data-room-provider-comparison/ like worms, viruses, and ransomware attacks from innocent software is an important indicator of its efficacy. You should choose a scanner which can recognize all kinds of malware including trojans and rootkits, and that has perfect or near-perfect rate of virus detection.

Also, look for a program that does not slow down your system in any way. Certain programs may have a significant impact on your computer’s performance while a scan is in progress, or when performing other functions that are demanding. This makes it difficult to play games or stream videos. Look for a lightweight antivirus that is easy to install, runs fast and uses a minimal amount of resources.

Another key factor to consider is the additional features. Certain antivirus programs provide cleaning tools that help boost OS performance to speed up startup time and remove junk files, while others provide a virtual private network (VPN), which allows you to hide your online activities from scrutiny. The majority of paid antivirus suites offer 24/7 live chat or email support, however this isn’t necessarily the case for free antivirus products.