Antivirus, Enterprise, Internet Security

6 Criteria to Choose the Best Antivirus Program

Computers have become the bread and butter in our everyday lives so choosing the best antivirus program is essential. These ‘computers’ come in many forms, today almost everyone owns multiple devices. This all leave us exposed on many fronts and causes difficult challenges when it comes to protection.

Computers have become the bread and butter in our everyday lives so choosing the best antivirus program is essential. These ‘computers’ come in many forms, today almost everyone owns multiple devices. This all leave us exposed on many fronts and causes difficult challenges when it comes to protection.

There are many ways in which a device can be exploited, though the most common ways are through some sort of social engineering often leading to downloading or opening viruses or malware. In such a situation, you need the best antivirus program that will be able to delete, block and repair damaged files.

At a basic level antivirus software is simply a program that scans your device for any malware or suspicious files. If any are found the program will try to clean up (delete) the infected files from your computer with the aim of keeping your data safe and secure. Of course modern antivirus programs are very complex and use various methods to detect and clean up exploits.

The questions remains then, how do I choose the best antivirus software? It’s a crowded market with many antivirus providers to choose from. While each developer boasts of being the best, you need to think of an intelligent approach that will allows you to choose the best antivirus program.

With that being said, this article will highlight 6 criteria or tips to keep in mind when choosing the best antivirus software.

1. Compatibility

The first thing you need to think of when choosing the right antivirus is whether or not it will be compatible with your devices. Some Antivirus programs will cover Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone whilst others only specialise in certain platforms, you can often buy Antivirus packages which will cover all your devices and allow you to manage these through a cloud portal.

2. Performance

No one likes to admit it but antivirus programs can cause performance issues, especially if they are running a scan. If you’re running brand new mid to high end hardware you probably won’t notice it but if you have an ageing PC or phone you will likely notice it more.

Ensure you don’t have more than one antivirus program installed as this can cause a range of compatibility issues as well as general performance problems.

3. Price

Smart customers always check the price tag before purchasing a product. In the antivirus category, it’s essential that you first look at the price offer before deciding on what to buy. In some cases, reputable manufacturers will opt to offer freemium products. Other manufacturers will offer a trial period in order for your to evaluate the product.

4. Level of protection

Not all Antivirus programs are born equal and the feature list can be expansive and confusing. At a basic level you need cover which will detect and clean exploits from files, websites and email. Antivirus packages might also bundle firewalls, encryption and management through cloud portals.

Modern Antivirus programs will also be able to detect and stop crypto-malware attacks.

5. Speed of updates

Hackers are always inventing new exploits so its important that your antivirus vendor is quick to release updates. These are often called virus definitions and its not unusual for your antivirus software to update multiple times per week.

6. Support

The best authentic antivirus programs must offer a comprehensive technical support to all its customers. Such a program must be capable of offering both offline and online support. Always look for a vendor that offers customer support via email, phone or live chat.

To conclude on finding the best antivirus programs…

Before making any step to buy antivirus software, always take your time to study the market for a trusted manufacturer that offers the best products. To check whether a vendor is reputable or not, check product’s ranking on websites such as Whitch or AV-TEST to ensure that it offers the best security features for your device.

For some suggestions on choosing the best antivirus program for your needs, check out our article – Top 5 antivirus programs for 2018.

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Internet Security

Singaporean, 16, under ISA restriction order after being radicalised by far-right extremist ideology

Advertisement Singapore Singaporean teen who identified as white supremacist placed under ISA restrictions for far-right extremism The teenager strongly identified as a white supremacist and aspired to conduct attacks overseas, says the Internal Security Department. File photo of a person using a laptop. (File photo: iStock/Chainarong Prasertthai) New: You can now listen to articles. Sorry

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Singaporean teen who identified as white supremacist placed under ISA restrictions for far-right extremism

The teenager strongly identified as a white supremacist and aspired to conduct attacks overseas, says the Internal Security Department.

Singaporean teen who identified as white supremacist placed under ISA restrictions for far-right extremism

File photo of a person using a laptop. (File photo: iStock/Chainarong Prasertthai)


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  • The student is the second Singaporean to be dealt with under the Internal Security Act for being radicalised by far-right extremist ideologies
  • He was exposed to violent extremist material online in 2022 and developed an intense hatred of communities typically targeted by far-right extremists, including African Americans, Arabs and LGBTQ individuals
  • Although he hoped to be recruited for violent attacks overseas, the student did not take steps to actualise his aspirations beyond searching online for weapons

Firdaus Hamzah

Firdaus Hamzah

Firdaus Hamzah

24 Jan 2024 02:00PM
(Updated: 25 Jan 2024 09:42AM)



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SINGAPORE: A 16-year-old Singaporean student who was self-radicalised by far-right extremist ideologies has been issued a restriction order under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

The teenager, who is of Chinese ethnicity, identified as a white supremacist and aspired to conduct attacks overseas, the Internal Security Department (ISD) said on Wednesday (Jan 24).

“However, beyond online searches for weapons, he did not take steps to actualise his attack aspirations as he lacked the financial resources and know-how to do so,” ISD said.

It added that he had no plans to conduct any attacks in Singapore.

The student, who was not named, was in Secondary 4 when he was placed under a restriction order in November 2023. This means he is not allowed to travel out of Singapore, access the internet or social media without the approval of the ISD director, among other restrictions.

He is the second Singaporean to be dealt with under the ISA for being radicalised by far-right extremist ideologies.

The first – a 16-year-old Protestant Christian of Indian ethnicity – was detained in December 2020 after planning to attack two mosques in the Woodlands area.

Authorities said at the time that he had made “detailed plans and preparations to conduct terrorist attacks” against Muslims, and that he was influenced by the manifesto of Brenton Tarrant – the man who attacked mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.

The youth has since been released from detention, ISD said on Wednesday, adding that he had made “good progress” in his rehabilitation and is assessed to no longer pose an imminent security threat.

SELF-RADICALISATION PROCESS

Providing details of the latest case, ISD said the teenager was exposed to violent extremist material online in 2022, after chancing upon videos by American far-right personality Paul Nicholas Miller.

Miller is known for promoting a race war and espouses white supremacist and neo-Nazi rhetoric. He has been tied to multiple far-right extremist organisations overseas, including the Proud Boys and the Boogaloo movement.

By early 2023, the teenager had developed an intense hatred of communities typically targeted by far-right extremists, including African Americans, Arabs and LGBTQ individuals, said ISD.

“Fuelled by online extremist rhetoric, he came to believe that African Americans were responsible for a significant percentage of crime in the United States, and deserved to ‘die a horrible death’,” it added.

“He also perceived illegal Arab immigrants as having committed violent attacks against white populations in Western countries.”

ISD said the teenager subscribed to the Great Replacement Theory commonly referenced by far-right terrorists like the Christchurch attacker, which propagated the idea that the indigenous white population in Western countries were in danger of being replaced by non-white immigrants. 

“Such ethno-nationalist beliefs convinced him that non-white communities such as African Americans and Arabs should be driven away from white-majority countries,” said ISD. 

“The youth participated in several far-right online chat groups and channels, where he shared violent anti-African American videos, as doing so gave him a sense of belonging to the white supremacist community.” 

When asked how this case came to light, ISD told CNA it was unable to comment due to operational concerns. 

It added that the ISA remains a “relevant and effective legislative tool” that allows for pre-emptive action to be taken to neutralise any security threats, such as in the case of the two youths.

“Regardless of the cause or extremist ideology involved, the authorities will not hesitate to take actions against any Singaporean or person residing in Singapore who supports, engages in, or attempts to engage in, armed violence,” it said. 

Growing concern with youth radicalism, terrorism threat to Singapore remains high: ISD

Terrorist groups increasingly targeting youths, Singapore a ‘prized target’: DPM Wong

ASPIRATIONS TO PARTICIPATE IN ATTACKS

According to the ISD, the teenager had hoped to be recruited for violent attacks by white supremacist groups overseas to “fight for the whites”.

He considered travelling to countries such as France, Italy, the US and Russia to participate in attacks against his “vilified communities”.

“Specifically, he shared his interest to conduct a mass shooting in the US in 10 years’ time in a far-right online chat group,” said the ISD.

The agency added that while he searched online for weapons, he did not take steps to actualise his attack aspirations as he lacked the financial resources and know-how to do so. 

“The youth had no plans to conduct any attacks locally, as he felt that these communities had not caused trouble in Singapore,” said ISD.

“There was no indication that the youth had tried to influence his family or friends with his violent extremist views, nor were they aware of his attack ideations.”

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HugeWin – The Junior of the Industry Expected to Dominate the Seniors

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