Even in 2021, viruses are still persistent threats. A virus infection is harmful software triggered by performing common tasks such as opening an email attachment, launching an infected program, or viewing an ad on a malicious site. Viruses self-replicate by modifying or completely replacing files.
Viruses are a type of malware. Malware’s focus is all about making money off you. Although it can’t damage the physical hardware of your device or network equipment, it can steal, encrypt, or delete your data, alter or hijack core computer functions, and spy on your activity.
The best way to protect against a virus infection and malware is to use a legitimate antivirus and anti-malware solution such as Malwarebytes Premium that protects your PC against not just viruses but other threats, too. You can use our free version to manually scan and remove threats, but our paid version will regularly scan, clean, and block threats so you don't have to worry. It’s powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning to keep your PC safe.