AMERICA ’ S CYBER DEFENCE AGENCY ( CISA ) EXPLAINS ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE
• Antivirus software scans files or your computer ’ s memory for certain patterns that may indicate the presence of malicious software ( i . e ., malware ).
• Antivirus software ( sometimes more broadly referred to as antimalware software ) looks for patterns based on the signatures or definitions of known malware .
• Antivirus vendors find new and updated malware daily , so it is important that you have the latest updates installed on your computer .
• Once you have installed an antivirus package , you should scan your entire computer periodically .