What is the difference between Antivirus and Anti- malware?

You must have heard the term Antivirus and anti-malware. But do you know the difference between them? And how they work?

Some time back, PC users were only worried about viruses that would be safeguarded by simple and free Antivirus software’s. But with advancement in technology and increase in the number of internet users things have changed drastically. The internet has pervaded our day to day lives and cybercriminals too have made it tough for us. Earlier simple viruses were made that would be detected easily, but now the scenario has changed and it’s not the old simple virus that they are programming these days. Apart from viruses, now we have things like adware, Trojan horse, ransomware, spyware, etc. Hackers try their best to get into all kinds of networks in order to get away with all kind of personal data including your credit card and banking details. Many a times they also track your contact list and can send unwanted emails. They do this in order to earn money themselves or sell out this data to others.

Malware is seen to be a generic term while virus is a much more specific one.  Virus is an unwanted piece of software, which is developed to hamper the smooth functioning of computers. It can enter a PC via external drives or through the internet. On the other hand malware refers to all kinds of malicious software that includes viruses, adware, Trojans, worms, etc causing issues which made it a must for us to use antivirus software. Thus along with it you also need to go for an anti malware program as well.

Nowadays security companies have specially designed antivirus and anti-malware programs for Mac, windows or smartphones. The features of these programs are also very advanced.

A thorough understanding of antivirus and anti malware program will prove out to be very crucial in the ever persistent fight against viruses and malware in general.