Free Antivirus Software Security | Ways How Antivirus Can Protect You

Budgeting | Singapore

We spend more time than ever before at home on our laptops. Working from home or bingeing on Netflix, Disney+, or Spotify, is now quite normal. However, this means that we are gaining access to more and more sensitive information at home. In this blog, we tell you how free antivirus software security. 

For example, those of us who work from home may be required to handle confidential personal and financial information from clients. Furthermore, those of us who invest may have begun trading stocks, cryptocurrency, foreign exchange, and other assets from the comfort of our own homes. Despite everything that happens on our computers (or mobile devices), some of us do not even have antivirus software installed! This is not a wise decision in this day and age when cybercrime is on the rise. In fact, cybercrime accounted for 43% of all crime in Singapore in 2020!

Free Antivirus Software Security

Banking and Payment Security

A good antivirus program should include banking and payment protection, particularly for your web browser. This is due to the fact that browsers are a critical point of vulnerability. As they are where our online transactions take place. And so much of our financial information can be accessed online via computer browsers. It is extremely crucial to avoid visiting a fraudulent website masquerading as the actual thing. Someone gaining access to your credit card, bank account, or trading account information is the last thing you want.

Anti-Theft

Anti-theft features are another characteristic of good free antivirus software. Our electronic devices are now more portable than ever before, and travelling with laptops and cellphones has become the norm. However, there is always the risk of losing your equipment due to theft or negligence. While such antivirus software cannot prevent you from leaving your laptop or smartphone on the MRT by accident, it can improve your chances of recovering your lost gadget.

Ransomware Defense

Protection against ransomware attacks is another feature that free antivirus software should include. Ransomware assaults are a particularly heinous threat in which a computer is infected with malware and its files are held hostage by the crooks behind the destructive software. In exchange for the data, victims are requested to pay the hackers a ransom, generally in Bitcoin. Ransoms can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars. In 2020, the number of ransomware cases reported to Singapore’s Cyber Security Agency increased by 154%. Also, the majority of cases were hitting SMEs.

Anti-Phishing

Phishing is another place where your free antivirus software will come in handy. Phishing scams deceive you into thinking a bogus website is authentic. Cybercriminals collect whatever personal information they enter onto the false website.  For example, usernames, passwords, or banking information.

Homoglyph assaults are a frequent phishing tactic that involves changing specific letters or characters in the name of a legitimate website with similar-looking ones. Such as Cyrillic equivalents that appear almost identical to the Latin alphabets we use. While banking-related phishing scams are the most common in Singapore, non-banking scams are also on the rise. With at least $140,000 lost since August 2021.

Webcam Security

Good free antivirus software should prevent unauthorized usage of your computer’s webcam, especially now with the all-too-familiar long hours of Zoom sessions. Did you know that hackers are seeking to gain access to people’s webcams? Camfecting occurs when hackers activate the webcam of a laptop that has been set in sleep mode. So that hackers can gain access to information that can be used for financial benefit. And, let’s be honest, the prospect of outsiders peering into your home through your camera is downright unsettling.

Moving to France from Singapore