{"id":163264,"date":"2023-01-15T05:44:31","date_gmt":"2023-01-15T13:44:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/?p=163264"},"modified":"2024-04-11T09:52:09","modified_gmt":"2024-04-11T16:52:09","slug":"the-big-difference-between-online-protection-software-and-antivirus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/the-big-difference-between-online-protection-software-and-antivirus\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Distinguish Between Online Protection Software and Antivirus"},"content":{"rendered":"

Authored by Dennis Pang<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Online protection software. Antivirus. The two words get used interchangeably often enough. But sure enough, they\u2019re different. And yet directly related when you take a closer look.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The term \u201cantivirus\u201d has been with us for decades now, dating back to the first software that was designed to prevent computers from getting malware\u2014malicious code, like viruses, that would lock up computers, scramble data, or otherwise damage computers and the data on them. Prime examples of these early types of malware include 1999\u2019s \u201cMelissa\u201d virus spreads by infected email attachments and the even more devastating <\/span>\u201cILOVEYOU\u201d virus that incurred billions in damages worldwide<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a good reason why people default to the word \u201cantivirus\u201d so easily. Viruses have been on our collective minds for some time. And computer purchases have often been accompanied by the question, \u201cDo you have antivirus for your computer?\u201d By and large, the notion of antivirus has become pretty much engrained.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet look ahead to today and you can see how dramatically things have changed since those early days. We still need antivirus, that\u2019s for sure. But it takes far more than that to live life safely online right now. And that\u2019s where online protection software comes in.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is online protection software?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Online protection software protects you. It includes antivirus, yet it further protects your identity and privacy in addition to your devices.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The way we use our computers, tablets, and phones nowadays shows the reason why we need such broad protection. We conduct so much of our lives online. We bank, we shop, we plan our finance online. We also run portions of our homes with smart devices and smart speakers. Increasingly, we track our health and wellness with connected devices too\u2014like workouts on our phone and biometrics with consumer-grade and even medical-grade devices.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

All of this creates data. Data about who we are, what we\u2019re doing, when we\u2019re doing it, how often, and where. That\u2019s precious information. Private information. Personal information. And understandably, that needs to be protected.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Put simply, today\u2019s threats have evolved. While viruses and malware remain a problem, today\u2019s bad actors are out for the bigger games. Like stealing personal and financial info for identity theft. Moreover, organizations large and small collect data from your devices and the things you do on them, personal data that many share and sell for profit. Some of this data collection gets quite exacting, compiled from a broad range of public sources that can include records like bankruptcies, real estate sales, and birth records\u2014plus private sources that can further include your shopping habits, the people you chat with, and what your daily travels look like based on location information captured from your smartphone.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you find yourself surprised by this, you\u2019re not alone. Tremendous volumes of data collection activity occur without people\u2019s knowledge or consent.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now as to why anyone would want any of that kind of data about you, consider the multi-billion-dollar industry of online data brokers. They compile thousands of data points from millions of people and put these vats of data up for sale to anyone who\u2019ll buy them. That could be advertisers, potential employers, private investigators, and background checkers. And it could be bad actors as well who could use your own data to spam, harass, impersonate, or otherwise harm you.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s online protection software protects you from today\u2019s threats<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Once, so many of these intrusions on our privacy and identity were difficult to spot, let alone prevent. For example, your personal info gets caught up in a data breach and winds up posted for sale on the dark web. How are you to know that before it\u2019s too late and thief racks up umpteen charges on your debit card? Also, with dozens and dozens of data brokers out there, how do you track down which ones have information posted about you and then request to have it taken down? And what if online identity theft happens to you and you\u2019re faced with the time and dollar costs it involves to set things right?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So just as online threats have evolved, so has online protection software. We go about so much of our day online, and <\/span>online protection like our own McAfee+ helps you do it more privately and more safely<\/span><\/a>. It\u2019s quite comprehensive, and the various plans for McAfee+ include:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n