What You Need To Know About Virus Scanner Online Software

If you’ve spent a good amount of time online as most people have, then you are familiar with the dangers of malicious software. These could be insidious trackers designed to collect as much data from you as possible to downright nasty viruses that could do serious damage to your files or even hardware.

Fortunately, you can protect yourself by installing readily available antivirus software. If you do find yourself needing a quick antivirus solution - perhaps you are on a strange unprotected computer - you can rely on a virus scanner online for protection.

What is a Virus Scanner Online

Online virus scanners are often tiny downloadable executable programs that don’t install like a regular app. They instead usually run like portable programs, so they need to communicate with a server to get virus definitions and process their findings.

Some do however work without requiring any download, but their major drawback is that they will only detect possible vulnerabilities or infections. They will not be able to remove them. They are helpful when you need a second opinion; maybe you aren’t sure that your current solution has you fully covered and want to be certain.

The non-downloadable variety can therefore be used to identify infections quickly, but you’d need to look elsewhere if you want to remove the problem. For such an instance, you can use a downloadable virus scanner online to rid yourself of the threat.

One common use for a virus scanner online is checking whether a file is safe for download, for example, an email attachment. Simply send the suspicious file or email attachment to the secure online scanner, and they’ll report their findings to you along with possible solutions in case of an infection.

It is important to note that as handy as a virus scanner online is, it is not a complete security solution. That’s why installing a fully-fledged antivirus is always advised to get critical protection benefits such as real-time analysis and protection. But a virus scanner online still has its advantages.

Advantages of a Virus Scanner Online

Perhaps their most enticing benefit is that online virus scanners are free. Most offer free basic scanning, so you’ll have to look for a different antivirus solution if you want more comprehensive features.

An online virus scanner will either be completely web-based, meaning it will take up no space on your machine, or even if it requires a download, the space it takes will be extremely minimal compared to a fully-fledged antivirus software.

Being web-based also means that the bulk of the processing isn’t done on your computer but rather on the server of the virus scanner online. This is good because it frees up your system resources and doesn’t bog down the performance of your computer.

Online scanners can protect you from malware and virus threats that may be embedded in the sites you visit. It will also safeguard websites from SQL queries that threaten their databases and keep their data secure.

Without running in the background like a normal antivirus, an online virus scanner will give you a second opinion about the health of your computer. So even if you have an antivirus, you can perform an online scan that won’t cause the typical problems associated with running multiple antivirus programs.

A virus scanner online tends to receive more regular updates than traditional antivirus engines, so you always have the latest and greatest protection.

Disadvantages of a Virus Scanner Online

Depending on your choice of an online virus scanner, some may not feature a virus removal tool and therefore are only able to inform you of the threat. The ones that can remove the threat are downloadable versions. However, the fact that they are downloadable means they are not fully web-based antivirus solutions.

Another disadvantage is that some are just means to try and upsell you on their full antivirus programs. When choosing one, ensure that the scanner can scan your entire system. Some like BitDefender’s QuickScan will only scan your startup files and memory for viruses, so you can’t be sure the danger is gone. Lastly, if you’re not careful, you could be lured into giving your details to a phishing site purporting to be a virus scanner online.

Conclusion

A virus scanner online is a great solution to have in a pinch. It is an effective solution against most viruses while being easy to use. However, do your research before choosing one so that you know you are getting the features you need.

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