Home » Full Forms » Computer Acronyms/Abbreviations

What is Antivirus (AV)?

Antivirus (AV): Here, we are going to learn about the Antivirus, Methods of detection, etc.
Submitted by Anushree Goswami, on January 15, 2021

AV: Antivirus

AV is an abbreviation of "Antivirus" software, or anti-virus software, also known as anti-malware. It is a methodologically formulated algorithm program of computer, which is used to put off, identify, and eradicate malware.

In the beginning, Antivirus software was designed and created to identify and eliminate computer viruses, for this reason, it is named anti-virus. On the other hand, with the propagation of additional categories of malware, antivirus software began to make available security and protection from other computer threats.

Specifically, contemporary Antivirus software can secure and protect users from:

• Malicious browser helper objects (BHOs),
• Browser hijackers,
• Ransom ware,
• Key loggers,
• Backdoors,
• Root kits,
• Trojan horses,
• Worms,
• Malicious LSPs,
• Dialers,
• Fraud tools,
• Adware,
• Spyware

A number of products also comprise security and protection from additional computer threats, which consists of:

• Infected and malicious URLs,
• Spam,
• Scam and phishing attacks,
• Online identity (privacy),
• Online banking attacks,
• Social engineering techniques,
• Advanced persistent threat (APT)
• Botnet DDoS attacks.

Methods of detection

There are a number of methods, which antivirus program engine can use to detect malware:

• Signature-based detection:
  1. Conventional antivirus software depends largely and deeply upon signatures to detect malware.
  2. To a large extent, when malware enters the section of an antivirus firm, it is examined by malware researchers or by dynamic analysis systems.
  3. Subsequently, once it is established to be malware, a suitable signature of the file is pulled out and supplemented to the signatures database of the antivirus software.
• Heuristics:
  1. A lot of numerous viruses begin as a distinct infection and in the course of either mutation or refinements by additional attackers, can cultivate and develop into dozens of somewhat dissimilar strains, called variants.
  2. Generic detection alludes to the detection and elimination of a variety of threats using a particular virus designation.
• Rootkit detection:
  1. Anti-virus software can put an effort to scan for rootkits.
  2. A rootkit is a kind of malware considered to achieve administrative-level control over a computer system devoid of being detected.
  3. Rootkits can modify how the operating system works and in a number of conditions can interfere with the anti-virus program and make it unproductive and useless.
• Real-time protection:
  1. Real-time protection, on-access scanning, background guard, resident shield, auto-protect, and additional synonyms allude to the automatic security and protection made available by the majority of antivirus, anti-spyware, and other anti-malware programs.

Reference: Antivirus software

---

Algo tagged in: Dictionary – 'A'