Anti-Virus Basics
This section will bring me some heat, because a lot of people in the security community don't believe that anti-virus is helpful. I disagree, mostly on the basis that while they only detect lowest hanging fruit malware, I don't want to be a lowest hanging fruit victim.
Basically, these companies execute the malware, break down the malware into tiny pieces and creates indicators for the different components and what the execution of them look like, so that they can identify them on your computer and completely delete them off. I recommend that you have Windows Defender running at all times for protection. There is no need to have any other anti-virus on your computer, more is not better. As an important note, Linux anti-virus is pretty horrible and you should never install it. It's pretty difficult to get a virus on Linux, but if you do, let me know so I can RE it.
The only time I'd recommend you run a second antivirus is to remove an active adware or PUP infection as Windows Defender doesn't consider many of them malicious.
(If you want to correct me on this, just hit me via any of my many contact methods.)
Task:
- Read this: https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch001738.htm
- Make sure Windows Defender is running, because it is built into your computer and is really, really good.