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An antivirus program is the baseline for protecting PCs from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. It defends your PC from malware designed to steal data, disrupt software processes, or just cause random mayhem.
Antivirus software vendors recognize that families, not just individuals, need protection against cyber threats, so they offer discounted family bundles. With a family bundle, you’ll protect multiple devices at a significantly lower cost compared to purchasing individual antivirus subscriptions for each person. This guide explores how to set up antivirus protection for your whole family and the internal mechanics that antivirus tools use to protect devices from advanced threats.
How to set up family antivirus protection
As I mentioned, many antivirus software vendors offer discounted family bundles. The idea is to offer a discounted rate that protects up to five or ten devices, instead of each device owner paying for a separate subscription.
The discount can be steep, think $90 for protecting five devices compared to $250 if each device had a separate subscription. Taking advantage of such steep discounts is the obvious choice.
1. Choose an antivirus app
The process starts with selecting a suitable antivirus program out of numerous available options. Factors to consider include:
Cost. You need an antivirus tool that offers maximum protection without breaking the bank. For example, Webroot Essentials offers a family plan covering five devices for $90, discounted to $45 in the first year. This affordable price range suits most users.
Compatibility. Consider which devices your family members use and choose an antivirus app that’s compatible with all of them. For example, if they both use iOS and Android devices, you need an antivirus tool with native apps for each operating system. The same occurs if family members use both Windows and macOS PCs.
User experience. Choose a tool that’s easy to navigate, considering some family members who aren’t tech-savvy and would detest navigating complex interfaces. Antivirus apps offer seven to thirty-day free trials, so you can use this period to test the interface before committing.
Features. Select an antivirus tool with advanced features like real-time scanning, Wi-Fi inspection, and active web protection to block malicious sites. Some antivirus tools don't stop at offering anti-malware features, but also offer complementary features like a VPN, password manager, and firewall. For example, Webroot Essentials includes a password manager and real-time anti-phishing protection in addition to anti-malware protection, making it an ideal choice.
2. Pay for a subscription (or use a free trial)
With your choice settled, check if your antivirus app offers a free trial. If so, sign up for the free trial to test the features and user experience. Evaluate if the antivirus app offers real-time protection during both offline and online usage. Confirm if it has a user-friendly interface and offers complementary features like a VPN and password manager. These complementary features let you kill two birds with one stone and save money compared to paying for a separate password manager, VPN, or related security app.
If you’re okay with the free trial, enter your card details to pay for a subscription. However, some antivirus apps require card details to begin a free trial in the first place– you can simply cancel the trial before the payment date to avoid getting billed.
3. Set up protection for your personal device
Family antivirus protection begins with your personal device. You’ll serve as the admin in charge of renewing and managing the subscription. Family members can be added or removed from your account dashboard.
4. Invite family members
From your admin account, send email invites to family members you want to protect. Enter an email address, and the owner will receive an invitation link to install the antivirus app and join the subscription.
Antivirus apps provide step-by-step setup instructions to invitees, but you can go further. Contact your family members and explain to them how to set up the app, or you can handle the installation process yourself.
5. Configure controls
From your admin account, you can configure settings for all connected devices. For example, you can set screen time limits for kids’ devices to prevent excessive use. You can create custom web filters to prevent devices from interacting with certain site categories, e.g., gambling. All configurations are deployed remotely, making it easier to protect family members from cyber threats.
How does antivirus software work?
Knowing how antivirus software works helps you appreciate it better and set the right configurations. Traditionally, antivirus apps work by scanning device files against a vast database of malware signatures. If a malware signature is detected in any file, it’s quickly flagged, and you’ll be alerted about the issue.
However, the traditional method isn’t sufficient to counter increasingly sophisticated malware. Malicious actors have honed their tactics to deploy viruses that don’t really match known signatures. Consequently, antivirus software vendors have honed their techniques to discover these sneaky viruses:
Behavioral analysis
Antivirus tools deploy artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to monitor device apps in real-time. If an app displays unusual behavior (e.g., trying to access certain sites or attempting to modify configurations without authorization), it gets flagged for this behavior.
Sandboxing
If a file or program is flagged, your antivirus tool can run it in an isolated environment to confirm if it’s malicious. Nothing ran in this isolated environment affects your actual device, so don’t fret. A sandbox lets an antivirus tool confirm if something is actually malicious before blocking it from your device.
Real-time web protection
Modern antivirus tools don’t just scan files and programs previously installed on your PC. As you surf the web, each URL you visit is scanned in real-time for suspicious patterns. If any gets discovered (like hidden adware, multiple redirects, or keystroke logging), the URL is quickly blocked. You’ll be alerted about the issue, so you won’t be confused about why a URL is suddenly prevented from opening.
External device scans
When you plug in an external hard drive or USB into a PC, antivirus apps scan it thoroughly for malware. USB drives are popular cyber attack vectors, ranging from mundane file-altering viruses to those that steal sensitive data. All external devices connected to your PC should be scanned before you interact with its content.
System requirements for antivirus tools
Antivirus tools have system requirements, which devices must meet to use the sophisticated anti-malware features. These requirements aren’t overly complicated– running the latest or a recent Windows, macOS, iOS, or Android operating system is the baseline.
Older OS versions often can’t run antivirus apps. As a matter of fact, running an old OS version is itself a security risk, as built-in cyber protection features aren’t updated on these versions.
You’ll need some storage space to install an antivirus tool, usually 500 MB to 3 GB, and internet connection for the initial setup. Otherwise, running an effective antivirus app doesn’t require enormous computing resources.
What’s the best antivirus tool?
No single antivirus tool can be described as the ‘best,’ as it ultimately depends on your priorities and cyber threat models. Some antivirus tools are suitable for everyday use, but may be unsuitable for persons facing high cyber threat risks. Some antivirus apps are much more expensive than others, and features differ. Amid numerous options, I can recommend one though: the Webroot Essentials package.
Webroot Essentials protects both PCs, tablets, and smartphones from malware threats. It features active scanning to detect and block suspicious programs from running on your device. It has real-time web filtering to warn users about risky websites and technology to protect against real-time phishing attempts.
With Webroots Essentials, you can run a deep scan of your device to eliminate suspicious files, and scans are notably quick compared to rival antivirus apps. The underlying malware database, which files are scanned against, is updated daily to keep up with emerging threats.
For $45 in the first year and $90 annually afterwards, Webroots Essentials offers sophisticated anti-malware protection for five family members’ devices. Alongside an antivirus app, family members also have access to a shared password manager and a tool for monitoring if their data gets leaked in any breach. A 14-day free trial lets you test the features before deciding whether to subscribe.
Best practices for using an antivirus tool
1. Use only one tool
I can’t emphasize this point enough– you should run only one antivirus tool to avoid slowing down your device performance. During active scans, an antivirus tool consumes significant RAM, and running multiple can consume enough RAM to slow down other functions. You don’t want your PC or smartphone suddenly getting hot and too slow to open basic apps, so use just one antivirus app.
2. Turn on automatic updates
Antivirus software vendors deploy routine updates to fix bugs and introduce new functionalities. These updates are critical, as they include features to fight new types of cyber threats. They also fix user experience or security-related flaws that may have been discovered in your antivirus tool. Turning on automatic updates ensures that your app stays updated, with access to the latest functionalities to fight viruses.
3. Enable real-time protection
Real-time protection isn’t always enabled by default because it consumes extra computing resources. However, I advise turning it on to ensure all files or websites you interact with are scanned for malware. Sure, it consumes some computing resources, but it’s a worthwhile tradeoff to avoid interacting with malicious apps. Simply check your antivirus tool’s settings and ensure “Real-time protection (or something similar)” is toggled on.
