Why is It Important to Have an Antivirus?

Today we are connected to the internet throughout the day and we totally depend on it for our communications. Messages, chats, searches, email inquiries, in some cases even phone calls ... If just a few years ago we only had access from our homes, today it has spread to our smartphones or even to many public places (shopping centers, restaurants, outdoor areas ...).

But, although the advantages offered by having internet access are infinite, we must also be aware that it can generate some problems, the main one being viruses, Trojans or spyware, among others. To prevent them from "sneaking" into our devices and causing us significant damage, today we are going to talk about why it is important to have an antivirus, not only on our computer but on any device with which we surf the internet.

Why Install an Antivirus?

A virus can get inside our device without our realizing it, since not only by avoiding “malicious” pages we are safe from them. They can be installed by opening a pop-up window from a site we thought was safe, downloading a file we thought was harmless, etc. To avoid this virtual insecurity, it is necessary to have an antivirus that previously analyzes each movement we make of this type and gives us the go-ahead before continuing. These are the main reasons why we must have an antivirus as a virtual security method.

Malicious Web Pages.

Although common sense makes us determine which pages are safe and which ones may have malicious content, sometimes we find websites that make us download some type of code that is installed on our device without us noticing. An antivirus will warn us in case something is opened, downloaded, or is going to install something outside of the "normal" one, thus making us safe at all times.

Infected Emails.

Infected files are also easy to run via email. Not only through unknown emails or spam, but sometimes some of our contacts can send viruses without being aware of themselves; that's why it's easy for us to trust ourselves and download a file that is really malicious.

Documents.

Every document that is opened, even office files such as Word or Excel, an antivirus detects whether the source is reliable or not. Through USB it is also easy to pass malicious documents and an antivirus allows us to analyze it and eliminate any suspicion.

Data Espionage.

An antivirus also protects us from data espionage. For this, you need an antivirus that detects spyware and increases the security of our browsing when we have to enter personal information on certain pages.

Is an Antivirus Necessary on the Mobile?

If a few years ago we only used the mobile phone to call or send SMS, today we all use it to chat, check email, use countless APPs, even make voice calls ... How we use the Internet through our device Mobile makes us constantly at risk if we do not give it the proper use. We must be careful with unreliable applications that we install on our phone, since, although most are safe, there is a percentage that can put our mobile at risk.

Avoid Viruses on Your Phone

Avoid Automatic Downloads.

In addition to always downloading from safe sites, we can also protect ourselves in mobile settings. In many devices there is the option to disable the download from sites that are "unknown sources", so by checking it you will be avoiding automatic downloads when you browse pages with pop-up windows or that by mistake you end up in unreliable sites.

Responsible Navigation.

Although most web pages are already responsive, browsing from a mobile phone is not the same as from a computer. Although in most cases from the smartphone it is easier and more intuitive to operate within a site, on pages where there is a lot of advertising or pop-ups it is really exhausting. Therefore, it is necessary to navigate responsibly and try to avoid all those pages that put our online security at risk.

Antivirus on Mobile.

But even if you are careful, as we have seen sometimes it is easy for a virus to install itself without us being aware. That is why there is the possibility of having an antivirus on our mobile. The main drawback is that it will occupy space on the phone and in many cases, it will slow down its performance since it will analyze each page, download, new file ... Although there are many people for or against, if from the mobile you are going to browse that it is not always going to be security, without a doubt you should install an antivirus on your smartphone.