Essential 5 Features to Look for in Antivirus Software

Choosing between free and paid antivirus software requires careful consideration, as both options must deliver comprehensive protection against a variety of threats, both online and offline. Even the slightest gap in antivirus coverage can open the door to devastating ransomware attacks or identity theft. Such occurrences can result in substantial losses, whether it’s being locked out of accounts, facing financial fraud, or dealing with a compromised system. Therefore, I prioritize certain fundamental features when assessing antivirus software for my computer.

1. Sandboxing

While trial versions of antivirus solutions often exhibit impressive features, how can you be sure they are equipped to handle zero-day threats?

During my time with Sophos’s cybersecurity team, I came across a critical feature known as “sandboxing.” This approach utilizes a virtual machine to create a separate operating system environment, allowing suspicious files, URLs, and objects to be analyzed without jeopardizing your primary system. This ensures the latest threats can be identified and examined in a contained setting.

You don’t need to be a tech wizard to use sandboxing; many commercial antivirus solutions come with this functionality. For example, Avast Premium Security has a sandbox feature that enables users to import an application’s EXE file for inspection. If any potential problems arise, you’ll gain valuable insights right there.

Malwarebytes also features a “Malware.Sandbox” integration within its “ThreatDown” endpoint protection, designed to detect adware, ransomware, rootkits, and similar threats. Surprisingly, AVG, a well-known antivirus option, lacks this feature in its Internet security offering, making it a solution I am currently avoiding.

2. Email and Web Protection

In addition to protecting PC applications, browsers and local email clients are particularly susceptible to online threats. Given that I frequently use browsers and email platforms like Outlook, having robust security in place brings me significant reassurance. Thankfully, nearly all commercial antivirus options provide some form of email and web safeguarding.

Out of the various antivirus offerings, I find Bitdefender’s strategy for email and web protection to be exceptionally effective for my needs. It meticulously examines every web page unless specific exceptions are noted, which I find invaluable. It even inspects encrypted web pages that utilize untrusted certificates.

Additionally, Bitdefender conducts scans on all incoming and outgoing emails to shield you from threats across the board. When paired with a secure browser like Brave, which allows access to onion links for dark web browsing, it effectively closes off potential security gaps. The best part is these comprehensive email and browser protection features are accessible in the software’s free version.

Did you know? Windows Security and Microsoft Defender are distinct products that share only a few feature names.

3. Firewall Integration

Windows Security includes a formidable firewall feature known as Windows Defender Firewall, which should always remain enabled. However, based on my experience, integrating a second strong firewall to oversee both incoming and outgoing traffic provides a valuable additional layer of defense for your operating system.

Consider how Trojans, rootkits, and backdoor programs must contend with your primary antivirus firewall before they can attempt to alter your host firewall’s configurations. It’s easy to operate two firewalls on Windows without conflicts or performance hiccups.

Before the rise of Windows Security, users mostly relied on third-party firewalls integrated within antivirus software. However, with Windows Defender Firewall, these protections have become somewhat optional. Presently, among various antivirus options, Bitdefender and Norton Internet Security boast powerful firewall capabilities.

4. Phishing Protection

Now that we’ve addressed the majority of malware-based threats, let’s turn our focus to another critical aspect: social engineering attacks. These can come in the form of seemingly legitimate emails requesting your payment details or someone posing as a trusted friend or family member. It’s easy to let our guard down against such last-mile threats.

Many phishing attacks succeed due to the exploitation of the human element of “trust.” Cybercriminals often employ this tactic as their primary method to compromise systems or steal sensitive information. I firmly believe being tricked falls on the individual. However, selecting antivirus software with robust phishing protections can substantially mitigate your risk of encountering fraudsters lurking online.

How does this work? Primarily, such systems maintain an continuously updated database of web pages recognized for phishing behavior. Users often notice warning messages from browsers like Google Chrome regarding sites flagged for potentially dubious activities. Similar alerts are provided by most reputable antivirus solutions to ensure users remain vigilant when navigating online.

5. Identity and Dark Web Protection

Real-time data breaches can hit us unexpectedly, sometimes affecting millions of individuals. A reliable antivirus solution should always include identity protection features that alert users of any breaches as they occur.

Recently, I came across a data breach involving Gravatar, impacting millions of users. Since Gravatar is frequently utilized by bloggers and various image-editing platforms, having an effective antivirus solution capable of warning you about such risks is invaluable. This way, you can promptly check your online accounts for potential compromise.

Moreover, the aspect of identity protection is expanding to encompass dark web scanning. A growing number of antivirus solutions, including Malwarebytes Premium, now offer services that monitor personal data exposure on the dark web.

Finally, Consider a VPN

We’ve thoroughly examined the essential features you should expect in an antivirus solution. Now, I wish to highlight another valuable aspect that many modern antivirus products are incorporating—VPNs. Leading antivirus options, such as Malwarebytes, Bitdefender, and Avast, often come equipped with VPN functionality, providing multiple server options worldwide.

This is critical because a VPN delivers basic protection against IP address spoofing, DNS hijacking, and similar browser-based threats. By combining antivirus software with a VPN, you essentially receive dual layers of protection at one cost, which is why many top VPN providers like ExpressVPN or NordVPN are now implementing antivirus-like security features.

Image Credit: Pixabay. All screenshots credited to Sayak Boral.

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