Antivirus/Anti-Malware

Software that detects, blocks, and removes malware on your devices. Traditional antivirus focused on catching computer viruses, but modern solutions (often just called "anti-malware" or endpoint protection) look for all kinds of malicious software: trojans, worms, ransomware, rootkits, spyware, etc.

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These programs use various methods - signature matching of known malware, behavioral analysis, heuristic detection of suspicious patterns - to identify threats. For example, if a known piece of ransomware tries to run, the AV should recognize its signature and quarantine it; or if a program suddenly starts trying to encrypt a lot of files, the AV's behavior analysis might flag and stop that.

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For SMBs, having antivirus on all computers (and keeping it updated) is a basic yet important defense. Many operating systems include free AV (Windows Defender on Windows is quite capable), or businesses might opt for third-party solutions. The AV will also typically scan files and email attachments and can often be set to run regular full system scans.

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It's important to note that antivirus isn't foolproof - new or sophisticated malware can slip past - but it will catch the majority of common threats and is therefore a necessary layer of protection.