Anti-malware protection is a must

Computer viruses have been around for decades. In theory, the origin of “self-reproducing automata” (i.e. viruses) dates back to an article published by mathematician and polymath John von Neumann in the late 1940s. Early viruses occurred on pre-personal computer platforms in the 1970s. However, the history of modern viruses begins with a program called Elk Cloner, which started infecting Apple II systems in 1982. Disseminated via infected floppy disks, the virus itself was harmless, but it spread to all disks attached to a system. It spread so quickly that most cybersecurity experts consider it the first large-scale computer virus outbreak in history.

For the most part, “antivirus” and “anti-malware” mean the same thing. They both refer to software designed to detect, protect against, and remove malicious software. Contrary to what the name might suggest, antivirus software protects against more than viruses–it just uses a slightly antiquated name to describe what it does. Anti-malware software is designed to protect against viruses too. Anti-malware just uses a more modern name that encompasses all kinds of malicious software, including viruses. That being said, anti-malware can stop a viral infection form happening and remove infected files.

PC viruses today are more of a legacy threat than an ongoing risk to computer users. They’ve been around for decades and have not substantially changed. In fact, the last truly “new” virus that replicated itself through user interaction occurred in 2011 or 2012. Modern cyberthreats are often much worse than viruses, they hide deeper in computer systems and are more adept at evading detection. The quaint viruses of yesterday have given rise to advanced threats like spyware, rootkits, Trojans, exploits, and ransomware, to name a few. Viruses are just one kind of malware. Though viruses still exist, there are other forms of malware that are more common these days. For example, here are several common threats:

Adware is unwanted software designed to throw advertisements up on your screen, most often within a web browser, but sometimes within mobile apps as well. Typically, it either disguises itself as legitimate, or piggybacks on another program to trick you into installing it on your PC, tablet, or mobile device.
Spyware is malware that secretly observes the computer user’s activities without permission, then reports it to the software’s author.
A virus is malware that attaches to another program and, when triggered, replicates itself by modifying other computer programs and infecting them with its own bits of code.
Worms are a type of malware similar to viruses in that they spread, but they don’t require user interaction in order to trigger.
A Trojan, or Trojan horse, is more of a delivery method for infections rather than an infection itself. The Trojan represents itself as something useful in order to trick users into opening it. Trojan attacks can carry just about any form of malware, including viruses, spyware, and ransomware.
Ransomware is a form of malware that locks you out of your device and/or encrypts your files, then forces you to pay a ransom to get them back. Ransomware has been called the cybercriminal’s weapon of choice, because it demands a profitable quick payment in hard-to-trace cryptocurrency. The code for a ransomware attack is easy to obtain through online criminal marketplaces, and defending against it is difficult.
A rootkit is malware that provides the attacker with administrator privileges on the infected system and actively hides from the normal computer user. Rootkits also hide from other software on the system—even from the operating system itself.
A keylogger is malware that records all the user’s keystrokes on the keyboard, typically storing the gathered information, and sending it to the attacker, who is seeking sensitive information like usernames and passwords, or credit card details.
Malicious cryptomining, also sometimes called drive-by mining or cryptojacking, is an increasingly prevalent form of malware or browser-based attack that is delivered through multiple attack methods, including malspam, drive-by downloads, and rogue apps and extensions. It allows someone else to use your computer’s CPU or GPU to mine cryptocurrency like Bitcoin or Monero. So instead of letting you cash in on your computer’s horsepower, the cryptominers send the collected coins into their own account—not yours. So, essentially, a malicious cryptominer is stealing your device’s resources to make money.
Exploits are a type of threat that takes advantage of bugs and vulnerabilities in a system in order to allow the exploit’s creator to deliver malware. Among other threats, exploits are linked to malvertising, an attack that uses malicious ads on mostly legitimate websites to deliver exploits. You needn’t even click on the ad to be affected—exploits and their accompanying malware can install themselves on your computer in a drive-by download. All you have to do is visit a good site on the wrong day.