You might have noticed a decline in widespread infection of viruses during the past year or so. This does not mean that virus makers are slacking off, it means that more computer users are now better informed than in previous years.

What spurred computer users to invest in antivirus software might have been the continuous virus attacks that happened from 1999 (Melissa Virus) and which culminated in 2004 with the MyDoom or Novarg virus. Starting 2005, there has been a decline in virus infections that cause extensive damage all over the world.

Coinciding with this decline is the rise in the number of available antivirus software and the improving technology they use in identifying malicious codes within useful programs and email attachments. So if you’re looking to upgrade your antivirus or switch to another, you must know how the software can protect your computer from virus attacks, and choose the best method for you.

Computer-based

This is the most common antivirus and it begins protecting your computer the moment you finish installing it. There are numerous free and paid programs out there and they may use a dictionary approach in identifying viruses, or the suspicious behavior approach. With this kind of antivirus you get comprehensive protection but with the disadvantage of weighing or slowing down your computer.

Cloud-based

This type of antivirus software solves the issue of having a not-so-powerful computer or owning one that doesn’t have enough space. The original cloud-based antivirus does the analysis on another machine rather than doing it on the computer being scanned. Online antivirus can also be considered under this, and the main advantage is its very updated compared to computer-based antivirus programs.

Some users override the effectiveness of their software by not frequently updating. You must remember that new viruses are being created daily, and your paid or free antivirus should be able to stay current as much as possible to work to its best ability.