A heuristic is a tag given to viruses based on how the antimalware software discovers them on a system. Detecting and identifying a code or file as malicious is known as heuristic analysis. The process helps increase the efficiency with which the antivirus software can analyze and identify every evolving type of virus before it causes harm to your system.
Heuristic virus detection assesses to see if a program it finds suspicious does the following:
- Behaves like other known malware.
- Attempts to tamper with or change OS files.
- Refuses to close after its task is completed.
- Attempts to write to the disk.
Avoiding heuristic viruses
- Keep an eye out for phishing emails, and try not to click on suspicious links.
- Ensure you regularly update your device’s operating system and software.
- Install any robust VPN with a malware protection feature. This feature lets the software detect and delete any malware on your device.
- Do not download any software or files from unknown sources.
