Protecting Against Malware
Computer Science: Edexcel IGCSE, topic 5.2.3
Anti Malware / Virus Software
Network administrators must make sure that all computers on a network are sufficiently protected from malware.
Anti-virus software
- Anti-virus software provides real-time 'on-access' scans of files to detect if they have been infected by a virus.
- That means that when a file is opened, the anti-virus checks that it has not been infected.
Anti-malware software
- Anti-malware software performs periodic scans of the system.
- Anti-malware software detects unknown pieces of malware, and removes them from the computer.
Motivation for these softwares
- These pieces of software can help to identify and quarantine malware.
- Quarantining a piece of software prevents it from running and allows users to decide whether to:
- Attempt to remove a virus from the software.
- Destroy the software.
Test yourself on Protecting Against Malware
What is the purpose of anti-virus software?