A few years ago, computers, even new ones, were not very vulnerable to viruses. Today, once connected to the Internet, their degree of vulnerability increases drastically. In spite of this, many Internet users use their computers without any antivirus software and expose themselves to numerous threats and malware, even though there are many free or paid anti-virus solutions available.
So, what are the risks of using your computer without antivirus software? Why should you use an antivirus?
Cybersecurity since the early 2000s:
In the early 2000s, computer sales had become more important, putting data security at the center of the debate. At that time, computer threats were not as numerous as those we see today. Malware, Trojans, backdoors, worms, phishing emails, theft of personal data etc., the variety of modern threats is frightening…
In 2003, for example, a new computer that connected to the Internet had a threat resistance time of 40 minutes. A year later, the resistance time of a new system was 20 minutes. Today, a new computer connected to the Internet, without any antivirus, is affected after 4 minutes. So, as soon as you buy your computer, install an antivirus software to protect yourself from these malicious malware and cyber attacks.
The aim of hackers
The first developers of computer viruses did not have evil goals. In fact, they developed them within legal frameworks, with the aim of exposing the limits of the Internet. Unfortunately, in recent years, viruses have become a way to make a fortune. Many developers, more precisely hackers, make a living out of it.
The problem today is that many computers have easy access to the Internet and many Internet users know almost nothing about cybersecurity. They are the favorite targets of hackers, who do not hesitate to use spam or social networks to infect their computers.
What can happen to your computer if no antivirus is installed?
The majority of computers run on Windows. These are the most vulnerable computers. To show the strength of a computer virus, it is important to remember that some normally well secured systems can be hacked.
This is the example of the intranet of the French Navy, which has been infected by one of these malicious programs. It is the Conficker virus. This contamination has resulted in the blocking of the admirals’ agendas. In addition, the navy’s aircrafts were grounded for 48 hours. In reality, the computers using Windows systems had just not been updated. It was enough to insert a contaminated USB key for the virus to integrate the intranet and infect the entire system, even though the security flaw had been corrected by Microsoft.
Spyware is on the rise. They are able to collect your personal data. Other viruses, called ransomware, can infect your computer and turn most files into other files that only hackers can open. To recover your data, you have to pay a lot of money. It is much better to install antivirus software and protect yourself beforehand than to suffer the consequences of a computer virus attack or any other cyber threat.
