Today’s antivirus software is mostly automated; you can install one and leave it alone. It handles all security matters and malware threats on its own, never calling for your attention except for the direst of situations. But should you really leave your antivirus to fend for itself? Not exactly. So that your antivirus can do its magic, you should at least ensure that it doesn’t need an update.
Consider the updates the vital impetus that keeps your antivirus running effectively. Updates add new information to the existing virus definitions of your antivirus. This allows it to evaluate pieces of software as safe or harmful with better precision. Failing to grab a couple of the latest updates means you leave your computer open for an attack against malware that your antivirus cannot yet recognize.
Think of malware and antiviruses as two teams playing a never-ending game of tag: one team must catch up and get ahead of the other team, at which point the roles are reversed. Cybercriminals design malware that outsmarts contemporary antivirus solutions, and then security vendors respond by rolling out security updates and countermeasures. The updates help antiviruses keep computers immune from attacks, at least until cybercriminals discover new methods to infect computers. And the cycle continues.
Whenever your antivirus asks you to renew your subscription or download an update, you should pay attention. You should open the management dashboard of your antivirus at least once a week and manually check when the last update was downloaded. Another reason why you need to check in is that certain viruses and other malware have become sophisticated enough that they can turn off automatic updates and disable the real-time protection of your antivirus. Your computer could already be compromised without your awareness.
Security vendors release new definition updates on a daily basis, what with new malware threats popping every day. In fact, nearly a million malware threats emerge every day, if a 2015 report by CNN is to be believed. Missing even just a day’s worth of updates is unacceptable, as it increases your chances of falling victim to a cyber crime. Don’t have an active Internet connection? It’s no good excuse. Many security vendors offer ways to update their AV products offline, usually by providing links to virus definition files and security updates. You can download them manually from a computer with Internet access and transfer them to a USB drive.
So what are you waiting for? Update your antivirus now.
