Telltale Signs Your Antivirus Software Needs An Upgrade

It’s very rare to go anywhere nowadays without at least one device with you. Even if you’re just running some errands, you always have your phone, right? And if you’re working remotely from a coffee shop, you’ll take a laptop. Your devices contain so much information about you, even if you don’t realise it.

So if the information on those devices had to fall into the wrong hands, it would be an utter disaster. This is why most people use an antivirus software of some sort which runs in the background while you use your device to spot any activity that looks out of the ordinary.

But it’s not just as simple as installing it once and then forgetting about it. Just as your device’s software needs to be upgraded from time to time, so does your antivirus.

 

Why Should You Regularly Update Your Antivirus Software?

 

Cybercrime is an ongoing threat, affecting both businesses and individuals. According to the UK Government, 8.58 million cybercrimes took place in the last 12 months across the country. That equates to about 23,507 per day which is a pretty startling statistic if you look at it that way.

And the most concerning part? Cyber criminals are only getting smarter. They are constantly finding new ways to hack into systems and if an antivirus is outdated, it can’t keep up.

Every time your antivirus is upgraded, it becomes aware of new threats and has security patches to fix any vulnerabilities that may have been previously present.

Essentially, keeping your antivirus up-to-date gives you and your device the best protection.

 

How Do You Know When It’s Time To Upgrade?

 

If you’ve got an antivirus, the question is, how do you know when it has reached its lifespan? Here are a few of the telltale signs to let you know that it’s time to upgrade.

 

Performance Slows Down

 

The biggest warning sign is when your computer moves at a snail’s pace when the antivirus is running a scan. Since antivirus software is designed to work quietly in the background, it shouldn’t be impacting your device’s speed or performance.

But since outdated antivirus can’t handle big files and apps, it will naturally slow things down. If you notice scan times taking a bit too long or your device can’t even be used during security checks, it’s a very big indicator that an upgrade is necessary.

 

Updates Happen Less Frequently

 

Since cyber threats are constantly evolving, antivirus software has to update just as fast to be able to combat new forms of malware, phishing and so on.

If you notice that your antivirus isn’t updating very often or that your subscription has expired completely, it’s not able to fight the new threats and your device is exposed.

 

 

You See More Pop-Ups Or Ads

 

If you are constantly seeing ads or pop-ups when trying to use your device, it’s an indication that your software is now prioritising sales instead of protecting your device. This is because software that is either free or outdated has to rely on advertising to generate some form of revenue.

The issue with this happening is that it becomes a lot harder to separate legitimate ads from suspicious ones.

 

It Doesn’t Have New Features

 

Most of the modern antivirus software do a lot more than just scanning. They usually have extra security features like firewall integrations, safe browsing, secure Wi-Fi protection and threat monitoring in real-time.

If your current antivirus doesn’t have these, it’s a sure sign that it’s outdated and needs to be upgraded to be able to cover all the bases.

 

New Threats Can’t Be Blocked

 

If malware is able to sneak past your antivirus, you know something is very wrong. If you notice that your device is crashing a lot or new programmes have been installed that you didn’t authorise, there’s a good chance it’s infected.

This is simply because an outdated antivirus is only aware of known threats that were around when it came out but not any new ones.

 

It’s Not Compatible With New Devices

 

Cybersecurity companies update their software to work with the latest devices and operating systems. If you get a new device and the antivirus seems to stop working, it’s a sign to upgrade it too.

You’ll probably notice things like the antivirus features are glitching or the software crashes each time that you try to open it.

 

Customer Support Is Non-Existent

 

No software is perfect and from time to time, you may need to get in touch with your antivirus provider. It shouldn’t be taking days to get a response or speaking to multiple people to solve an issue.

Nowadays, providers have responsive customer support with 24/7 live chat to make sure there is a quick turnaround time for resolving problems. If yours doesn’t offer that, it might be worth considering making a switch.