Difference between Antivirus Software and Internet Security: The difference between antivirus and internet security is still often confusing to a lot of people.
Similarities wise, both are intended to secure your computer from unsafe programs. But despite that similarity in their design, they are innately distinct from each other.
So the question is: which one would be most ideal for your computing needs?
What is Antivirus Software
Antivirus softwares (or AVs) are probably the oldest form of computer protection against harmful programs. Originally, it only scans and removes known viruses then skips those that it does not recognize.
As time progressed, a lot of other harmful programs were invading computers through simple data transfers.
The antivirus software developers then saw the need to add more security features to the traditional antivirus.
Modern antivirus softwares now have heuristics. It is a more advanced feature added to the usual antivirus to monitor the unwarranted activities of potentially harmful programs.
Heuristics decide whether a certain program is behaving like a virus or not.
If it does, the feature pops up a notification on the computer screen asking the user for a course of action regarding the harmful program.
The downside to this, however, is that it may not be 100% accurate.
But security wise, a modern antivirus is much better than its predecessors.
What is Internet Security Suite
The big difference between antivirus and internet security is that while the former, in all its totality, is just one single software, the latter involves several other applications fused into one program.
Hence, it is not just a mere program or software but it is actually a suite that provides a lot of added security to your computer through a number of incorporated features. Internet security suites are said to be actual enhancements of antivirus softwares.
With the trend about internet connectivity in the present generation, developers believed that the mere AV software is just not enough. And so, internet security was introduced.
But technically speaking, it can still be considered an AV program at its core.
An internet security has a firewall feature – bonus which an AV clearly does not have. This feature puts certain restrictions on your internet connectivity.
It can automatically refuse connection requests and any other superfluous communications from the worldwide web.
The same works for potentially harmful applications or processes that are running on your computer.
Aside from the firewall and the antivirus, there are also other useful features integrated in an internet security suite.
Most of these suites include a built-in anti-spyware program, anti-malware program, sandbox, grime fighter, browser cleaner, safe zone activator, rescue disk creator, and even a software updater.
Difference between Antivirus Software and Internet Security
If you are a heavy internet user, all the added features of an internet security suite will highly benefit you.
Those features are all essential in providing optimum protection to your personal computer against today’s most deceiving internet threats.
The obvious difference between antivirus software and internet security is that the former is only ideal if you are seldom using the computer to browse the internet and your data transfers only involve plugging in peripherals like optical discs or flash drives.
It might also interest you to check the programs installed on your computers first before making a choice.
Some built-in internet security features might just be redundant and may only harm than protect. Hope you understood the difference between Antivirus Software and Internet Security
