Is your computer running more slowly then usual? Do unexpected windows pop up? Do files disappear? Are programmes behaving strangely? Looks like you've got a virus. But... what is a computer virus?
Computer viruses are programmes which change the normal functions of the operating systems on your computer, and are designed to reproduce as much as possible, imitating the behaviour of a biological virus: replicating themselves, infecting more and more files, and transmitting themselves every way they can: to other hard discs, other systems in local networks and even via the internet. There are many different viruses. They can be benign or malignant, ranging from what we might call funny and harmless to other which are designed to destroy all the data on an infected computer... your computer. Scary, right? How can you protect yourself? By being careful, not trusting unknown files, and using a good antivirus programme.
Antivirus programmes are designed to prevent, detect and eliminate virus threats and other types of malicious software which can affect our computers. Basically, the antivirus software searches every file on your computer, checking them against known virus samples, which it will usually have a huge database of. These databases are usually called virus updates or signature files. Anti-virus programmes also use another set of sophisticated techniques and functions to detect unknown viruses based on their actions. For example, if an unknown programme tries to delete a particular archive for no apparent reason, that could be a virus. This intelligent recognition technique is called heuristic.
There are large companies dedicated exclusively to developing antivirus software, both freeware and commercial, but whichever it is they usually provide free downloads of their antivirus solutions, sometimes for home use only, to try them out, or completely free.
So if you want to download free antivrus software you're in the right place! At Malavida we offer a list of the best and best-known free antivirus downloads:
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