🤔 What’s the catch with free antiviruses?

There is no such thing as a truly free antivirus. You always “pay” with something. Most antivirus companies limit the free version of their software to only offer basic protection. This leaves a lot of holes in your computer’s cybersecurity defense. The antivirus company hopes you’ll recognize you’re not well-protected, and they’ll try to get you to upgrade to the paid plan by sending you a ton of notifications and advertisements. Some other antivirus companies even sell free users’ data to large corporations for marketing purposes — the popular free antivirus Avast was accused of this exact thing. If you’re only using your device for simple online browsing or word processing, you’re probably fine with a free antivirus (and the ones on this list are the best of the best). But, in general, if you store any kind of sensitive information on your Windows device, it’s always better to invest in a full-featured internet security suite than it is to trust a free antivirus.

🤔 Why should I use another free antivirus instead of Windows Defender?

Windows Defender is a decent antivirus — in my testing, it ranked better than some standalone products, but it can’t compete with premium antiviruses like Avira and Panda which consistently have 90-100% malware detection rates. Plus, Windows Defender doesn’t offer protection against online threats like phishing sites, malicious web trackers, and data breaches. Most of the products on this list have much better cybersecurity protections for keeping your device and data secure online. You can read this blog post if you’d like to learn more about why Windows Defender isn’t good enough to keep users safe in 2021.

🤔 What are the most common types of viruses that affect Windows computers?

While there are literally billions of malware attacks reported annually, trojans and adware are consistently the most common types of malware found on Windows computers. Trojans look like other files with extensions like .exe and .doc — but once downloaded, trojans can initiate a backdoor attack to steal user data, to incorporate a Windows device into a botnet, to give a hacker direct access to a computer, or to simply crash and erase the entire OS. Because hackers are constantly developing new malware for Windows, it’s crucial that your antivirus uses a malware database that’s consistently updated. Avira’s malware scanner is based in Avira’s cloud, so its malware database is always up-to-date, with no need for users to worry about downloading or installing database updates.

🤔 Will Windows allow me to install a free antivirus?

Absolutely! Windows will automatically turn off Windows Defender’s protection when a new third-party antivirus software is installed. If you decide to uninstall your third-party antivirus, Windows Defender will ask you to reactivate its malware protections. However, free antivirus software just isn’t as good as paid programs — you really do get what you pay for, and when it comes to keeping all of your devices and digital data safe, a paid antivirus like Norton 360 is definitely worth the investment. If you’re looking for advanced protection and a lot of other great cybersecurity features, check out this list of the best premium antivirus products on the market .

🤔Why is internet security important?

Internet security is important because of the huge amount of valuable data most users keep online, and the increasing number of hackers targeting unprotected online accounts. There’s a growing number of hackers on the internet, and most of them are using increasingly sophisticated malware and social engineering tactics to get access to financial information, online logins, and browsing data. Without proper internet security protection , you could fall victim to one of these hacks, leaking banking info and credit card numbers, compromising social media accounts, and ultimately becoming a victim of identity theft and fraud.

🤔 What’s the difference between “antivirus” and “internet security”?

Antivirus software protects against computer-based malware like viruses and trojans. Internet security software protects against network-based malware like spyware and ransomware. That said, today, many internet security suites (like all on this list ) offer both an antivirus engine and internet security protection in the same product. Many antivirus/internet security packages have: Phishing, spyware, and ransomware protection Secure browser extension Identity theft insurance VPN Firewall Dark web monitoring Password manager Encrypted cloud storage …and a lot more My favorite internet security suite of 2021 is Norton 360 Deluxe — it’s got 100% malware protection, a fast VPN, 50 GB of cloud storage, a highly secure firewall, and excellent parental controls.

🤔 Are there any free internet security programs?

Free internet security software usually comes with a couple of caveats. It either has severely limited functionality, major product flaws, notifications that prevent you from normally using your device, or a secret agenda (like stealing your data). That said, not all free security software is bad. In fact, I think there are some good free antiviruses for Windows , Android , iOS + Mac , but none of them are nearly as good as the products listed here. It’s always better to spend a couple bucks a month on a premium internet security suite like Norton 360 than it is to deal with hassles and limitations of a free antivirus.

🤔 Are Google Chrome’s internet security protections any good?

Chrome doesn’t have a lot of online protections — like a VPN, identity theft protection, advanced phishing detection, and encrypted password storage. Internet security protections from Google (and Apple and Microsoft) have come a long way, but none of them are even close to as good as those offered from major cybersecurity brands like Norton and McAfee . Most antivirus software in 2021 offers far better protection than anything found in Google Chrome.

🤔 Can I disable COM Surrogate?

You can’t disable COM Surrogate. It’s a core system function within Windows that will be called upon every time an application requests it. I actually tested this by opening the Task Manager on my computer and clicking “End Task” on every instance of COM Surrogate. I then opened a folder in File Explorer and switched to Thumbnail View. As soon as I did this, COM Surrogate once again appeared on my task list. This is normal, and it shouldn’t be interfered with. COM Surrogate is a part of dllhost.exe’s function and a required Windows background process. If in doubt, follow this guide on how to remove malicious instances of COM Surrogate.

🤔 Why does COM Surrogate keep crashing?

It’s totally normal for COM Surrogate to crash occasionally. COM Surrogate is a sacrificial process. In fact, surrogate means to “act in another’s place”. For example, when you open a folder and switch to Thumbnail View, Windows fires a COM Surrogate to draw those thumbnails within File Explorer. If, for whatever reason, this process crashes, instead of having the entirety of File Explorer crash, only COM Surrogate will crash. In other words, COM Surrogate crashing is a form of protection. That being said, consistent crashes or system slow-downs may be the symptom of something more serious. Should COM Surrogate crash frequently, follow the above steps . Your computer may be infected.

🤔 Where is COM Surrogate located?

COM Surrogate is an internal process that is initiated by dllhost.exe — which is located in your System32 folder*. COM Surrogate itself isn’t something you can find in your system files. Therefore, if you do come across “COMSurrogate.exe” or anything similar, your computer is probably infected with malware and you should check out the rest of my instructions for how to remove it. *For the less tech-savvy users, the System32 folder is where Window’s most important .EXE and .DLL files are located. If you were to delete System32, Windows would no longer function.

🤔 Why is the COM Surrogate virus dangerous?

The COM Surrogate virus is dangerous because it can open a backdoor into your system. Hackers can use that backdoor to break into your computer and steal sensitive information. This can include: Usernames Email addresses Passwords Bank account details Credit card information The hacker will even be able to use the backdoor to download more malware onto your system. Trojans can also be used to hijack your operating system for botnets and cryptojacking malware. That’s why it’s imperative that you remove all instances of the COM Surrogate virus, and any other malware that may have infected your system. If you don’t know how to remove a virus from your PC, then check out the rest of my guide for removing COM Surrogate from your computer.

🤔 What does WebHelper do?

WebHelper infects PCs through deceptive downloads, often in the form of scam emails or fake uTorrent clients. Once WebHelper is embedded in your system files, it can: Monitor keystroke and mouse clicks. Take control of other programs. Display ads or play sounds on your computer. Steal bank details. Steal passwords. If your PC is infected with WebHelper, follow the above removal steps and change your passwords when finished.

🤔 How do I uninstall WebHelper?

If you close WebHelper or try to remove it manually, it will boot back up again when you restart your PC. To uninstall WebHelper safely, you need to use virus removal software such as Norton 360 . I’ve written out a few easy steps about how to download and run Norton.

🤔 Why is the WebHelper virus dangerous?

The WebHelper virus is dangerous because it can open a backdoor into your PC, allowing hackers to: Steal valuable data. Modify data. Copy data through the use of keylogging. Hackers often disguise trojans under names you’d deem to be safe, such as WebHelper. That’s why you can never be sure if you’re infected or not. If in doubt, or to remain protected, make sure to always have a high-quality antivirus such as Norton 360 running on your system.

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