Antivirus software is your first line of defense against malware. As it runs in the background, it will scan your computer for potential threats while blocking them before they are able to infect your computer. There are different types of antivirus software, however. While some of them use signature-based methods of detection, others use heuristic analysis. What is heuristic analysis antivirus software exactly, and how does it work?
Overview of Heuristic Analysis Antivirus Software
Heuristic analysis antivirus software is defined by its ability to detect known forms of malware as well as unknown forms of malware. Known forms of malware consists of viruses, trojans, worms, ransomware and other malicious software that has already been identified. Unknown forms of malware consists of these same types of malware, except they haven’t been identified or otherwise discovered yet.
How Heuristic Analysis Antivirus Software Works
The problem with signature-based antivirus software is that it’s only capable of protecting against known viruses. Signature-based antivirus software lives up to its namesake by using signatures to identify malware. All forms of malware have a signature. A signature is simply a string or sequence of code that’s unique to a piece of malware. When scanning your computer, signature-based malware will look for these signatures.
While heuristic analysis antivirus software can protect against known pieces of malware, it offers protection against unknown malware as well. The term “heuristic” means to learn something without the assistance of anyone or anything else. Heuristic antivirus software follows this principle by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to identify new pieces of malware that haven’t been previously identified.
Heuristic analysis antivirus software is designed to look for patterns in the code of files and programs that are associated with malware. It doesn’t necessarily look for signatures. Signatures are explicit lines or sequences of code that a given piece of malware uses. Heuristic analysis antivirus software simply looks for patterns, which may indicate a potential threat.
Some types of heuristic analysis software also uses dynamic scanning to detect malware. Dynamic scanning is an advanced detection method that involves running or executing files in a virtual container. The virtual container will separate the files form the rest of your computer. While the files run in the virtual container, heuristic analysis software will analyze them for potential threats.
Heuristic analysis is a new class of antivirus software. It’s particularly effective at identifying unknown pieces of malware. Heuristic analysis antivirus software doesn’t use signatures. Instead, it uses AI to look for patterns while also executing and running files in a virtual container.
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