CHECK YOUR ANTIVIRUS SECURITY
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Whether it's Windows Defender, or the other third-party antivirus, like Kaspersky, Protegent360 or Bitdefender, this sort of security software is important when connecting to the web. Thanks to the antivirus we will be protected against threats that are hidden within the network. When we install an AV in our computer, it begins to protect our PC and, in addition, it is responsible for updating itself automatically several times a day. If everything goes well, we do not have to touch the antivirus again, we will always be protected. However, as time goes by, an issue may arise: Is It Really Protecting Our PC?
Luckily, there are ways to check if our antivirus is
working correctly, and in addition to knowing how we should act when it detects
a threat, without taking risk. This is made possible by agreements made by two
well-known security organizations. On the one hand EICAR, European Institute
for Computer Antivirus Research, and on the opposite AMTSO, The Anti-Malware
Testing Standards Organization. These organizations shall help us check if our
antivirus is functioning and is capable of protecting us from all types of
threats.
How
to Test Our Antivirus against "Fake Viruses"?
What these two organizations offer us are ' fake viruses '.
These viruses are found within the antivirus databases. For this reason, when
the files reach the computer, they set off the antivirus alarm (if it is
working) and it acts as if it were a dangerous virus. However, if the safety
software didn't work, we wouldn't be in peril either. Fake viruses are
harmless.
The different tests that the AMTSO platform allows us to
perform are:
Detects
Manually Downloaded Malware: It allows us to check if our antivirus
is capable of detecting possible malware downloaded by ourselves.
Detects
Drive-By Downloads of Malware: It allows to measure the
efficiency of the antivirus with automatic downloads, those that we have not
requested.
Detect
Compressed Malware: It downloads a compressed file with the fake
virus inside. It allows us to live the precision and speed with which it
detects these threats.
Detects
Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAS): It allows you to check
if our antimalware detects and blocks potentially unwanted programs.
Detects
Phishing Pages: It try to load pages registered as phishing to
see if the antivirus blocks them.
Is
Connected To A Cloud-Based Lookup System: Check if our security
software uses the cloud to guard our PC. The signature of this file isn't
within the database itself, it must be detected by an AI within the cloud.
In each section we can see a description of what it does,
how it works and what we have to do. If the antivirus has to jump
automatically, it will. If we've to press a button, we'll press it and see its
behavior.
We remember, once more, that each one these tests are
harmless. Neither viruses do anything on our computer, nor can the websites be
used with malicious intentions.
Other
Ways to Check the Security of Our Antivirus
In addition to the AMTSO tests, which are reliable,
complete and really accurate, there are other ways to research our antivirus
and check if it really works and protects us.
The following test, for instance, tries to attach remotely
to our computer and check the ports that we've open. Very useful, for example,
to check the configuration of our router and the security of the firewall.
If what we are concerned about is ransomware, thanks to the
following tool we will be able to test our antivirus against this type of
malware. This is a "fake ransomware", that is, it only simulates its
operation, and at no time does it endanger our data. So, these tests will help
you in to know if your antivirus is working or not and do you have to change
your antivirus software for better security and protection.
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