Apparently, many users of modern computer systems have heard or know that there are so-called detector programs. What they are is easy to understand if you just turn to the translation or interpretation of the English word detect, which literally means “to detect”. In this regard, questions arise about what such programs should reveal. In most cases, for some reason, such applications are classified as protecting computer systems from viruses, although in fact, it would be quite logical to include, for example, utilities for finding errors in operating systems or hard drives, in the category of detector programs. As is already clear, the scope of such utilities is quite wide, but since at the moment we are talking about computer security, we will consider just such programs.
Classification of antiviruses: detection programs
Yes, indeed, in the field of protecting computer systems, countering various kinds of viruses, which since their appearancemore and more every day, occupies one of the first places. And these threats must somehow be identified (at the stage of penetration into the system, in an already infected system, etc.) and neutralized, if this, of course, is possible.
Just for the detection of virus applets, special tools were developed at one time, which today are commonly called detector programs. But how do such applications work and how exactly do they detect virus threats?
Purpose of anti-virus detection programs and basic properties
In general, based on the original purpose and the very first development of such utilities, it is easy to guess that they should be used exclusively to search for threats, but not to prevent their penetration into computer systems or to neutralize them. The first software products of this type were really only able to detect various kinds of executable codes that could be in the body of a virus, but a little later, the programs, if you like, “wised up” and became able to detect files infected with viruses, which predetermined the appearance of their classification.
So, today, if we consider such applets, so to speak, in their pure form, it is customary to distinguish between universal and specialized detectors. The former determine infection by the criterion of file immutability, which is achieved by comparing checksums before and after infection. The latter find viruses by signatures known to them, that is, they can only detect thosethreats contained in the respective databases. Over time, such programs began to actively use the method of heuristic and behavioral analysis, and then the applications themselves became so universal that it became simply impossible to attribute them to any one category of anti-virus software.
Combined Functions
The fact is that modern antiviruses (detector programs) are no longer used only as a tool for detecting threats like the most common scanners. As doctors say, the disease is easier to prevent than to cure. The same applies to anti-virus programs. Thus, modern detectors also play the role, so to speak, of a protective barrier at the entrance, and most (if not all absolutely) also combine the functions of doctor programs that are used both to treat infected objects and to neutralize the cause infection, if possible.
To give examples of detector programs, most of them are presented as portable utilities, which allows you to run them once and from removable media, while avoiding the infection that the program could be exposed to if it was installed as regular means in a computer system. The most famous and most powerful portable anti-virus scanners are considered to be Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool and Dr. Web CureIt!.
However, they are often supplemented with checks using specializedutilities like AdwCleaner, which mostly target adware and browser hijackers from the Hijackers group.
How to use virus detection tools correctly?
Actually, the questions of using such programs are clear to any user. True, depending on the settings present in the utilities, different parameters are applied.
However, as it is considered, if you suspect the presence of viruses in the system, you must set the scan of absolutely all objects that can be presented in the list of the program itself, including system and hidden areas. In addition, if there is such a parameter, you must specify an in-depth scan, and not a S. M. A. R. T type check. Although it belongs to the so-called "smart" virus detection, it checks mainly only the boot sectors of the hard disk and the components directly responsible for the operation of the operating system.
Mobile antivirus tools
As for installing detector programs on Android, there is nothing particularly complicated here ("apple" systems are not considered, since there were no viruses for them until recently). If you look closely even at those applets that are offered for installation from the Google Play store (aka Paly Market), it is easy to see that most anti-virus applets are simply represented by mobile versions of stationary scanners. In most cases, the set of tools or functionality is comparable to stationaryprograms, although scanning can be done in a slightly different way. This is understandable, because Windows and Android have different system files and partitions. But in general, there should be no difficulties.
Afterword
That's all in a nutshell about programs for detecting virus threats on different systems. To summarize, the main conclusion should be that modern programs of this type are no longer only detection tools, but have much greater capabilities.
