What is antivirus software? And do I really need it?

Antivirus software is a computer program which helps to detect both common and rare malicious programmes designed to purposefully harm your computer. Not stopping at detecting them, antivirus software also prevents and takes specific actions as to prevent your PC from becoming infected and also spreading infections across the internet through communication methods such as e-mail, IM and spam linking.

Computer viruses are most commonly known to attack PC’s which run Microsoft Windows, but some have also been written for both Linux based platforms and Mac’s. Designed to spread quickly, much like the common cold, computer viruses are a pest which if not prevented or detected early, can cause serious harm to your computer and also other peoples. They are designed to deliberately seek out data on your computer and in cases corrupt and delete it, other types of virus are so serious that they can keep a track of your personal bank account details and are a highly common way for people to be susceptible to fraud.

In order to prevent these pesky viruses from harming your computer and others then you should keep up with the latest updates for antivirus software. There are many different types of antivirus to choose from, and the best way you can find the best one is to check out review websites.

For more information about antivirus software and its origin check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antivirus_software.