What is Antivirus?
Antivirus software is a security application designed to detect, block and remove Malware such as viruses, worms, trojans, Ransomware and other malicious code.
Antivirus is one of the oldest, but still important, layers of defence within Cybersecurity — particularly on endpoints such as workstations, laptops and industrial HMIs.
🧠 How does antivirus work?
Antivirus software uses one or more detection techniques:
- Signatures: identifying known malware based on unique code fragments
- Heuristics: detecting suspicious behaviour or anomalous instructions
- Sandboxing: running suspicious files in a safe, isolated environment
- Real-time scanning: continuously checking files and processes when opened or executed
- Cloud analysis: comparing against up-to-date threat databases in the cloud
🧱 What does antivirus protect?
- Local files, email attachments and downloads
- Memory processes and startup scripts
- USB media and removable storage
- Documents with macros or hidden scripts
- OT workstations, HMIs and engineering laptops
🆚 Antivirus vs. EDR
| Antivirus | EDR (Endpoint Detection & Response) |
|---|---|
| Identifies known malware | Detects unknown or advanced behaviour as well |
| Often reactive | Provides proactive detection and forensic analysis |
| Easy to install | More complex integration with SIEM or SOC |
| Little analyst interaction | Requires active monitoring and incident response |
✅ Benefits of antivirus
- Fast detection of known threats
- Minimal configuration for basic protection
- Low system load on older equipment
- Still effective against common attacks
🚧 Limitations
- Less effective against advanced, targeted attacks
- No visibility of lateral movement within the network
- Limited use in OT environments where updates or internet connectivity are absent
- Cannot provide incident response without additional tooling
📌 In summary
Antivirus software is a foundational element of endpoint security, focused mainly on identifying and blocking known forms of Malware. For more advanced threats, complement it with EDR, SIEM or Zero Trust.