Many early viruses had no malicious payload they just served to show off the coder's skills, or even to give a shout-out to a loved one. The earliest widely known form of malware was the computer virus, the name for a program that infects other programs with its code, and replicates when the infected program runs.
The term malware is short for malicious software, and it refers to absolutely any program or process whose purpose is harmful, even criminal. Before we explore the different types of protection available, let's look at just what they're up against. Some antimalware tools work alongside your main protection to provide added security against specific threats, such as ransomware. Full-scale security suites expand protection to include such things as spam filtering, parental control, and VPN protection. Despite the word 'virus' in the name, an antivirus utility actually aims to protect against all types of malware. Malware protection solutions come in all sizes. Best Hosted Endpoint Protection and Security Software.
