As a new computer user, you may have heard a lot of talk about viruses, and you’re probably wondering if they could affect your computer. Unfortunately, viruses, malware and spyware are all real dangers on the internet, but you can protect your PC and personal information on your computer by installing virus protection software.

What is Virus Protection Software?

Virus protection software are programs that you download and install on your computer to protect your PC when you’re on the internet. A software program can provide protection from Trojans (a type of virus) and worms, which crawl through your PC or other assorted viruses. Virus protection software acts like a shield for protecting your computer files, data, programs, photographs and personal information from viruses that can damage your PC and even steal information.

Most products on the market today can also run virus scans to remove, destroy or place viruses in a secure vault where they can’t damage a computer. You can purchase antivirus products or download free software. Don’t worry; most antivirus products are geared to beginners and easy to install.

Typically, viruses can infect PCs when you visit an infected website, download data or programs or infect email attachments. Viruses can make computers run slower, steal computer memory, passwords and financial data.

Benefits of Using Virus Protection Software

• You’ll feel better knowing you have added protection from nasty spyware and viruses.

• Virus protection programs work in the background while you’re online. This means that the moment you turn on your computer, the program is working to protect your computer as you travel from one website to another.

• Antivirus programs can provide additional protection when making purchases online, so you won’t need to be so concerned about using your credit card information.

• A good quality virus program may help to protect you from identity theft by destroying spyware. Computers infected with spyware can steal credit card account numbers or banking passwords.

• Many premium packages may include software to reduce excessive spam in email inboxes. Some viruses attach themselves to a computer for the purpose of sending spam emails. Unsuspecting users may respond to authentic looking emails with personal information, which is then used for malicious purposes.

• Virus protection software can easily be updated by computer users with the latest virus definitions to catch new viruses as they are released on the internet.

• If you suspect you have a virus because your computer doesn’t seem to be operating normally, you can update your antivirus checker with the latest definitions and execute a manual scan of your PC.

• Many antivirus products can warn you of dangerous websites, check downloads and scan emails for viruses.

• If you have serious doubts about a new file you’ve just downloaded, you can run a scan of the individual file rather than running the scan on your entire computer.

As you can see, there are a number of great benefits for installing virus protection software. The smartest computer users, install antivirus software, update frequently and run virus scans weekly.