antimalware

Antimalware is software designed to detect, prevent, and remove malicious software, including viruses, worms, trojans, ransomware, spyware, adware, and botnets. It provides real-time protection, on-demand scanning, and automatic updates to defend computers and networks against evolving threats. Modern products often combine antivirus, anti-malware, firewall features, and other security tools in a single security suite or endpoint protection platform. The term emphasizes broad protection beyond traditional antivirus, covering a wider range of malicious behavior and attack vectors.

Detection methods include signature-based detection, which uses known patterns to identify threats; heuristic analysis to flag previously unseen variants by examining code and behavior; and behavioral analysis that monitors running programs for suspicious activity. Many products incorporate sandboxing to execute suspicious files in a controlled environment and cloud-based reputation services to assess new files more quickly. Machine learning and AI are increasingly used to classify threats based on features and telemetry.

Deployment and use typically involve standalone programs on personal devices or centralized endpoint protection for organizations. Features may include real-time protection, scheduled scans, automatic updates, email and web filtering, and incident reporting. Users should enable real-time protection, run regular scans, keep operating systems and applications up to date, and practice good security hygiene such as avoiding untrusted downloads and using strong passwords.

Limitations exist: no antimalware can guarantee detection of all threats, especially zero-day exploits or novel attack techniques. Performance impact, false positives, and evasion tactics can affect effectiveness. Antimalware is most effective as part of a layered security strategy that also covers network security, backups, patch management, and user education.