It鈥檚 very rare to go anywhere nowadays without at least one device with you. Even if you鈥檙e just running some errands, you always have your phone, right? And if you鈥檙e working remotely from a coffee shop, you鈥檒l take a laptop. Your devices contain so much information about you, even if you don鈥檛 realise it.
So if the information on those devices had to fall into the wrong hands, it would be an utter disaster. This is why most people use an antivirus software of some sort which runs in the background while you use your device to spot any activity that looks out of the ordinary.
But it鈥檚 not just as simple as installing it once and then forgetting about it. Just as your device鈥檚 software needs to be upgraded from time to time, so does your antivirus.
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Why Should You Regularly Update Your Antivirus Software?
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Cybercrime is an ongoing threat, affecting both businesses and individuals. According to the UK Government, 8.58 million cybercrimes took place in the last 12 months across the country. That equates to about 23,507 per day which is a pretty startling statistic if you look at it that way.
And the most concerning part? Cyber criminals are only getting smarter. They are constantly finding new ways to hack into systems and if an antivirus is outdated, it can鈥檛 keep up.
Every time your antivirus is upgraded, it becomes aware of new threats and has security patches to fix any vulnerabilities that may have been previously present.
Essentially, keeping your antivirus up-to-date gives you and your device the best protection.
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How Do You Know When It鈥檚 Time To Upgrade?
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If you鈥檝e got an antivirus, the question is, how do you know when it has reached its lifespan? Here are a few of the telltale signs to let you know that it鈥檚 time to upgrade.
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Performance Slows Down
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The biggest warning sign is when your computer moves at a snail鈥檚 pace when the antivirus is running a scan. Since antivirus software is designed to work quietly in the background, it shouldn鈥檛 be impacting your device鈥檚 speed or performance.
But since outdated antivirus can鈥檛 handle big files and apps, it will naturally slow things down. If you notice scan times taking a bit too long or your device can鈥檛 even be used during security checks, it鈥檚 a very big indicator that an upgrade is necessary.
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Updates Happen Less Frequently
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Since cyber threats are constantly evolving, antivirus software has to update just as fast to be able to combat new forms of malware, phishing and so on.
If you notice that your antivirus isn鈥檛 updating very often or that your subscription has expired completely, it鈥檚 not able to fight the new threats and your device is exposed.
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You See More Pop-Ups Or Ads
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If you are constantly seeing ads or pop-ups when trying to use your device, it鈥檚 an indication that your software is now prioritising sales instead of protecting your device. This is because software that is either free or outdated has to rely on advertising to generate some form of revenue.
The issue with this happening is that it becomes a lot harder to separate legitimate ads from suspicious ones.
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It Doesn鈥檛 Have New Features
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Most of the modern antivirus software do a lot more than just scanning. They usually have extra security features like firewall integrations, safe browsing, secure Wi-Fi protection and threat monitoring in real-time.
If your current antivirus doesn鈥檛 have these, it鈥檚 a sure sign that it鈥檚 outdated and needs to be upgraded to be able to cover all the bases.
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New Threats Can鈥檛 Be Blocked
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If malware is able to sneak past your antivirus, you know something is very wrong. If you notice that your device is crashing a lot or new programmes have been installed that you didn鈥檛 authorise, there鈥檚 a good chance it鈥檚 infected.
This is simply because an outdated antivirus is only aware of known threats that were around when it came out but not any new ones.
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It鈥檚 Not Compatible With New Devices
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Cybersecurity companies update their software to work with the latest devices and operating systems. If you get a new device and the antivirus seems to stop working, it鈥檚 a sign to upgrade it too.
You鈥檒l probably notice things like the antivirus features are glitching or the software crashes each time that you try to open it.
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Customer Support Is Non-Existent
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No software is perfect and from time to time, you may need to get in touch with your antivirus provider. It shouldn鈥檛 be taking days to get a response or speaking to multiple people to solve an issue.
Nowadays, providers have responsive customer support with 24/7 live chat to make sure there is a quick turnaround time for resolving problems. If yours doesn鈥檛 offer that, it might be worth considering making a switch.
