Are You Over Protected?

When it comes to security software, more is definitely not always better. Learn how having more than one anti-virus product could cause problems for your PC and security.
June 2011
by Robin Wark

If one works, then two must be better, right? Not so - at least in the case of anti-virus software! In fact, having two anti-virus solutions installed could cause a variety of problems. There is even the chance that it could lead you to be susceptible to viruses, spyware, Trojans and other malware.

Conflicts
Anti-virus programs are designed to monitor your system. They are on the lookout for anything suspicious. For example, they are standing guard for drive-by downloads. This is what occurs when you visit a website and the site tries to download a file to your system without your knowledge. This a common way that cyber criminals try to push malware on you.

In these situations, many anti-virus programs try to stop the malware from downloading. If they both try to block it, there could be a conflict. Or, if malware arrives on your machine through a download, email or from another drive, the security solutions both try to destroy it. This can result in instability, crashes and poor performance by your anti-virus programs.

Many anti-virus products use databases that contain malware "signatures," which help them hunt down invaders. There have been instances where AV products have detected each other's signature databases as actual infections, and tried to remove them.

Also, some security software may try to protect itself from aggressive malware by behaving "stealth"-like. This might prompt an attack from some anti-virus programs, such as those using heuristics scanning. This type of detection studies a file's actions to determine if it demonstrates malware behavior.

Anti-virus software needs a lot of resources from your computer to work. If two are working at the same time, this can starve your Windows operating system and software of the resources they need. As well, instability can occur as the two anti-virus products battle each other for control of resources.

One Defender
As you can see, it is a good idea to just employ one quality anti-virus program – together with a good firewall – to defend your PC. A firewall is a program or device that protects your computer or network by blocking unauthorized traffic. When choosing an anti-virus solution, you might want to consider:

• Defence Against Many Invaders:
  Malware authors are writing all kinds of malicious programs – not just viruses. Your anti-virus program must be able to thwart a wide-variety of threats.
• Having a Shield:
  Drive-by download infections can happen to anyone. Products that have "active protection" or "active blocking" can stop these malicious downloads.
• Small Footprint:
  As stated, anti-virus software use a lot of resources. A product that does not use as many can really improve your system speed.
• Removal of Rootkits:
  Rootkits are programs that try to gain administrator control of your PC. They can dig deep to cover up their tracks and those of other malware. Being able to find and remove rootkits is an important feature of a good anti-virus product.

Perhaps the easiest way to think about your anti-virus situation is that it is like having two guard dogs who do not know each other watch your property. It is likely the two dogs would not get along and there could be a variety of problems. With partners like a good firewall, one quality anti-virus product will keep you safe.

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