Anti-Virus Software is an application that attempts to identify, thwart and eliminate computer viruses and in some cases, other malicious software. There are two basic techniques used to accomplish this task: the Virus Dictionary Approach and the Suspicious Behavior Approach. Most effective Anti-Virus Software programs incorporate both techniques. With the Virus Dictionary Approach, the Anti-Virus Software examines a file, and compares it against a dictionary of known viruses that the creators of the Anti-Virus Software have identified. If a piece of code in the file matches any virus identified in the dictionary, the Anti-Virus Software can attempt to repair the file by removing the virus from the file, quarantining the file (so that the file remains inaccessible to other programs and its virus can no longer spread) or deleting the infected file. The Suspicious Behavior Approach, a less mature technique, is a predictive technology. It monitors the behavior of all programs. If one program attempts to write data to an executable, for example, the Anti-Virus Software flags this suspicious behavior and prompts the user to take action. Some Anti-Virus Software also uses other types of heuristic analysis. Scanning, an on-demand technique uses a "sandbox" to emulate the operating system and run the executable in this simulation. When the program ends, software analyzes the sandbox for any changes that could indicate the presence of a virus. Because of the resources required for this type of detection, it is used only on demand. Some virus scanners can also warn a user if, based on its file type, a file is likely to contain a virus. Click here to view our list of recommended Virus Protection software. |