After having spent hundreds, or thousands, of dollars on a new computer the most important thing you'd like to avoid is for it to be infected with malware. It is imperative to update and monitor your antivirus software on a regular basis. The top antivirus software offers solid protection against malware, along with a range of other internet security features. They include the VPN as well as anti-phishing security, password managers, dark web monitoring and parental controls.

The most effective antivirus software is updated regularly, ensuring that the most recent threats are identified and blocked. This is crucial as new threats are continuously created and old ones change over time to avoid detection. Many of the top antivirus programs use a variety methods to detect and stop malware, including signature detection, heuristics analysis, behavior monitoring and artificial intelligence.

Some of the most effective anti-virus programs also include additional tools such as a disk manager for hard drives, an app manager that handles startup and a process monitoring tool. This will help keep your PC running at peak performance and guards against a wider range of threats than the basic malware scanner offered by free antivirus programs.

The majority of premium antivirus software comes with cross-platform and multi-device licensing that work with Windows, macOS, and Android. This makes it a great option for households with multiple smartphones or computers to protect. For instance, Norton 360 offers excellent security against malware and viruses as well as a broad set of additional security tools like a password manager, an VPN and dark web monitoring and parental controls, with a low yearly subscription.