When discussing cybercrime or the negative aspects of the Internet, some words are commonly used such as virus, malware, data breach, hacking, phishing. Yes, just as the Internet has made our lifestyles easier, it has also created new dangers. But the hope is that it is possible to survive from these harmful aspects.
Many people have a question, can using VPN protect the PC from viruses? Or will any device be safe? The simple answer is that using a VPN properly will reduce your chances of getting infected by a virus, but a VPN will never protect you from a virus attack.
Basically VPN has some limitations for which it cannot protect any device from virus attack. Antivirus software is specially designed to protect devices from viruses. So today’s tune will discuss this matter. let’s start
What is a virus and how does it infect your device?
A virus is basically a type of program but a malicious program. It is made with bad intentions. In various ways, viruses can enter your PC and disrupt normal operations, steal personal information, destroy certain files. It can also act like sending emails without your knowledge. Can take control of the entire system. Viruses can also spread to other devices connected to the PC through file sharing and networking.
Device viruses are infected by various software downloads, from malicious websites, from email attachments and from external storage devices such as USB.
Will VPN protect against viruses?
While a VPN is an effective cybersecurity solution, it cannot directly protect your device from viruses. However, you will experience less virus attacks if you use the Internet using a VPN. The chances of the device being hacked and infected with viruses will be greatly reduced. Everything a VPN can do,
- Can secure your internet traffic through encryption
- Can mask your real IP address
- Can offer secure server set
VPN or antivirus which to use?
To know which one to use to protect yourself from hackers, you first need to know what it does.
- Antivirus is designed to scan, detect and remove viruses. VPNs are designed to hide your IP, traffic, and location.
- Antivirus scans the computer and its system files, checks for any malicious code and removes it immediately. When accessing the Internet, a VPN creates a secure, encrypted tunnel between your device and one of its servers.
- Antivirus always runs in the background to ensure real-time protection. Keeps device virus free. VPN, on the other hand, provides a secure and private browsing experience, making it safe to use even unsecured internet connections like public Wi-Fi or free Wi-Fi.
- There is no right answer to which is better for virus protection. Having both antivirus and VPN installed on your device will keep you safe from these malicious programs on the internet.
What is a VPN and how does it work?
VPN is designed to ensure online privacy and security It encrypts your internet connection and redirects it to a remote server, hiding your IP address. This makes it difficult for anyone to track your online activity
When accessing the Internet, VPN creates a secure tunnel between your device and the Internet so that no third party or government can monitor your traffic.
VPN is never a substitute for antivirus. What an antivirus can do, a VPN can’t do, such as warning and removing viruses, etc.
What does antivirus do?
Antivirus is designed to protect the device from malicious programs like virus, malware. It can scan files, email attachments, downloads, etc. and check for viruses, malware, spyware, adware, or trojans.
If something like this is found on the device, the antivirus can quarantine it or delete it outright. Moreover, it constantly checks whether any new virus has entered your PC. The security system is ensured by updating the database if there is any new virus on the Internet.
In addition to antivirus detection and removal, it provides additional benefits such as Firewall Protection, Spam Filtering, Phishing Protection, etc. Antivirus can keep your device safe by ensuring an extra layer of security against malware, viruses.
How do you know if your device is infected with a virus?
Abnormal behavior of the PC will tell you that a virus has entered the PC. The signs that may appear,
- Your device will become very slow As malware occupies system resources for various tasks, you will not get normal performance.
- Many popups or ads will appear on the device You will see different types of ads. Clicking on those ad links will make the situation worse.
- You will see different types of error messages that you have never seen before.
- Automatic browser homepage or search engine change is a sign of virus infection.
- There may be programs installed on the PC that you did not install.
- If you see a sudden increase in the data usage of the device, then you can think of a virus attack. Malware communicating and collecting data on remote servers increases data usage.
- Moreover, if your device automatically opens and closes any program without your instructions or does other things, then you can assume that the device is infected with a virus.
How to prevent virus infection
If your PC is infected with a virus or the device can be protected from attack, you can take the following steps,
- Regularly keep operating system, web browser, and all kinds of software updated. By doing this, any vulnerability will be fixed.
- Install a reputable antivirus software and keep it up to date
- Do not click on links in emails from unknown sources
- Use strong passwords for online accounts. Create passwords with unique, complex combinations, use Two Factor Authentication.
- Avoid various risky websites like pirate software, movie websites, pornography websites etc
- Use ad blocking software. Clicking on various ads can install malware on the PC so be careful.
- Download something from a trusted website, scan it with antivirus after downloading.
- Backup your essential files regularly. Keep the backup on an external drive or upload it to the cloud
VPN vs Antivirus
Although they work in different ways, both VPN and antivirus work together to keep your PC safe. Just as VPNs protect your online privacy by encrypting your connection, antivirus scans and removes malware to keep your PC safe. While VPNs resist various types of cyber attacks, antivirus can play an important role as an additional security layer.
last word
In this age of technology, it is very important to use proper online security tools to protect your privacy. Both VPN and Antivirus can keep your device safe from malicious parties. There is no difference between these two tools. Apart from using VPN, antivirus, you should also keep your device up-to-date.