{"id":191371,"date":"2026-01-28T12:33:36","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T11:33:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/liora.io\/en\/?p=191371"},"modified":"2026-08-08T14:30:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T13:30:43","slug":"antivirus-useful-nowadays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/liora.io\/en\/antivirus-useful-nowadays","title":{"rendered":"Antivirus: Is it still useful nowadays?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>A few years ago, using a computer (even a personal one) without installing antivirus software was unimaginable. However, with technology evolving so rapidly, these programs might now seem outdated.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<p>Individuals benefit from protection systems integrated directly into their operating systems (such as Windows Defender). As for companies, most possess a multilayered security arsenal to fend off potential attacks. In this scenario, <strong>is antivirus software still useful in 2024?<\/strong> The answer is yes. Liora explains the usefulness of these tools and the criteria for selection.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-is-an-antivirus\">What is an antivirus?<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>An antivirus is a <strong>piece of software designed to protect your computing devices from threats<\/strong> such as viruses, <a href=\"https:\/\/liora.io\/en\/all-about-malware\">malware<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/liora.io\/en\/all-about-ransomware\">ransomware<\/a>, and more. This security solution can detect, block, and eliminate these dangers, thereby safeguarding your personal data and ensuring the proper functioning of your devices.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>So how does it work in practice? This <strong>protection solution operates in the background,<\/strong> continuously scanning the files, websites, or emails you access or download. During this scan, the antivirus compares malicious codes against a regularly updated database. This enables it to identify suspicious files or behaviors. Once detected, these are quarantined to prevent infection, or even deleted if necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Some software goes further by monitoring the Dark Web to ensure your personal data is not compromised.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex is-content-justification-center wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-5ee10de4\" style=\"margin-top:32px;margin-bottom:32px\"><div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/liora.io\/en\/courses\/data-ai\/machine-learning-engineer\">Discover our courses<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-is-the-purpose-of-antivirus-protection\">What is the purpose of antivirus protection?<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>An antivirus is much more than just a shield against viruses. It helps you <strong>navigate the digital world safely<\/strong>. How?<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>By detecting and eliminating malware before it damages your system.<\/li>\n<li>By providing real-time protection for your computer.<\/li>\n<li>By continuously monitoring your device&#8217;s activities to spot any suspicious behavior.<\/li>\n<li>By analyzing attachments and links in emails to prevent phishing attacks.<\/li>\n<li>By using <a href=\"https:\/\/liora.io\/en\/artificial-intelligence-course-why-and-how-to-become-an-ai-expert\">artificial intelligence<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/liora.io\/en\/guide-to-modeling-a-machine-learning-project-steps-and-best-practices\">machine learning<\/a> to adapt to evolving and sophisticated threats.<\/li>\n<li>By integrating firewalls to filter network traffic.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-level-of-protection-does-an-antivirus-offer\">What level of protection does an antivirus offer?<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>Modern antivirus programs <strong>guard against a wide array of online threats<\/strong>, such as viruses, <a href=\"https:\/\/liora.io\/en\/all-about-malware\">malware<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/liora.io\/en\/all-about-ransomware\">ransomware<\/a>, spyware, keyloggers, rootkits, adware, trojans (Trojan horses), and more. As soon as these attacks attempt to breach your information system, the software detects and blocks them before they can penetrate.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>However, note that <strong>antivirus protection solutions are not foolproof<\/strong>. There are certain threats for which they prove insufficient, namely:<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Phishing attacks:<\/strong> these often exploit users&#8217; gullibility by tricking them into revealing sensitive information via fake emails or deceptive messages. Even the best antivirus can <strong>miss it if you click on a suspicious link.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Zero-Day attacks:<\/strong> they exploit vulnerabilities unknown to developers. Since they are not listed in antivirus databases, they are more challenging to anticipate and therefore harder to block.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Drive-By Downloads:<\/strong> a simple click on a corrupted site can trigger the installation of malware in the background, often without any warning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex is-content-justification-center wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-5ee10de4\" style=\"margin-top:32px;margin-bottom:32px\"><div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"\/en\/courses\/cloud-dev\/cloud-engineer\">Find a course for you<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>What&#8217;s the key against these threats? Stay vigilant and adopt <a href=\"https:\/\/liora.io\/en\/cybersecurity-the-ultimate-guide\">good cybersecurity practices<\/a> (such as securing passwords, being especially cautious when browsing on public WiFi networks, and being aware of fraudulent emails, etc.).<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-to-choose-an-antivirus-software\">How to choose an antivirus software?<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>From Norton to Avast, Kaspersky to AVG, Eset to Avira, including Bitdefender, McAfee, or F-Secure, there are numerous antivirus software providers. The goal of this article is not to offer you a comparison of the best antivirus on the market, but to provide you with the criteria for selection, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Protection level:<\/strong> The software must be capable of identifying and neutralizing a broad range of threats, such as viruses, malware, phishing, and more.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Complementary protection modules:<\/strong> such as unlimited VPN for privacy protection, parental controls to supervise your children&#8217;s digital use, or online identity monitoring tools.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Regular updates:<\/strong> As cyber threats constantly evolve, the software must be regularly updated or risk becoming obsolete against new attacks.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Performance level:<\/strong> A good protection solution should not slow down your device.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Compatibility:<\/strong> Some antiviruses specialize in specific systems. Hence, it is important to check if it works on all your devices.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>With these criteria, you can choose the best protection for your information system.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>However, if you possess sensitive personal data, antivirus alone proves insufficient. This is where <a href=\"https:\/\/liora.io\/en\/data-protection-officer-training-how-do-i-become-a-dpo\">cybersecurity training<\/a> comes in. Through this learning, you will be taught how to protect any information system from the most innovative threats.<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A few years ago, using a computer (even a personal one) without installing antivirus software was unimaginable. However, with technology evolving so rapidly, these programs might now seem outdated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":85,"featured_media":191373,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_theme","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2426],"class_list":["post-191371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cybersecurity"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/liora.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/liora.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/liora.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liora.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/85"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liora.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=191371"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/liora.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191371\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":210601,"href":"https:\/\/liora.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191371\/revisions\/210601"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liora.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/191373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/liora.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=191371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liora.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=191371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}