Antivirus vs Internet Security: What’s the difference?

If a recent uptick in cybersecurity threats inspired you to tighten your defenses, power to you. Granted, an intention is only half the battle. The trickiest part of the process is settling on which type of software to invest in, especially when you consider the sheer number of options out there.

While the best antivirus software and internet security suites are both viable (and popular) options, each offers a different level of protection. Since this is often an annual commitment, we can’t blame you if you’re worried about making the wrong choice, thus leaving yourself ill-prepared for a cyberthreat.

To put your mind at ease and decide which option will fulfill your needs better, here is a detailed breakdown of antivirus and internet security, their features, and the type of threats they’re effective against.

What is antivirus?

An antivirus is software that detects and eliminates malware. Depending on the underlying engine, an antivirus leverages various techniques to recognize harmful programs.

Traditionally, AV products primarily relied on signature-based detection, where they checked if the signature of the file matched the signature of malware in their database. Still, due to the growing sophistication of cyber threats, modern antivirus engines may also employ heuristic-based detection (among other techniques), which is a fancy way to say they analyze programs to see if they exhibit characteristics commonly linked to malware.

Since an antivirus scans files on your device, you can look at it as a sort of local protection, at least for the purpose of clarity. In the past, these programs were limited to local files (i.e., files already on your device), but today’s versions aren’t “offline-only” anymore and employ additional security layers to better shield you from incoming online threats.

What types of threats is antivirus effective against?

Although the name may lead you to believe that antivirus software can only remove viruses, it’s actually great when put to work against most types of malware (a broad term for malicious programs).

Malware can come in many forms. For instance, viruses are infamous because they can self-replicate by attaching to other files and programs, thereby infecting a device or a network. On the other hand, worms don’t require any other programs to replicate.

Then, there are the aptly named Trojan horses that pose as legitimate software and can perform their real functions once you execute or install them.

Depending on the type, the damage malware can cause ranges from stealing system resources for crypto mining or sending spam emails, to stealing your sensitive data, spying on you, or simply damaging your system.

Either way, an antivirus will stand its ground against most malware, meaning it should be an integral part of your digital security stack.

What is internet security?

In contrast to an antivirus, internet security suites include a wide array of tools aimed at protecting you online by preventing malicious files from finding their way onto your device.

Besides including an antivirus to protect you locally, internet security software also provides continuous monitoring that proactively busts threats while you’re browsing the web. Thus, it may also come packed with essential utilities such as VPN, password managers, parental control features, a comprehensive firewall, and so on.

What types of threats is internet security effective against?

For almost any threat you encounter online, there’s a high possibility that a robust internet security program will be able to shield you against it.

Take shady websites, for example. Threat actors can hack sites and use them to infect users with malware to grab hold of their information. Internet security software has up-to-date databases of malicious websites, so when you try to access one of them, you’ll receive a nifty warning that will help you stay out of harm’s way.

Furthermore, due to defenses like a firewall and VPN, internet security suites also address vulnerabilities hackers can exploit to steal your private details by hijacking your session and intercepting your data.

Another huge advantage of internet security programs is that they protect against phishing. Even if you don’t partake in torrenting or streaming movies on shady sites, you may still end up with malware if you fall for a phishing scam (which are sadly also getting more sophisticated).

The most common avenue for phishing is email. Scammers may mimic a legitimate service or an organization and con you into opening a malicious link or downloading a malware-ridden attachment. As these emails are indistinguishable from the real thing, thanks to cybercriminals using ChatGPT and similar AI language models to perfectly imitate company language, there’s always a chance you may fall for the scam.

Fret not. Internet security software can protect your inbox and stop these messages from ever reaching you.

Additionally, this suite may have features like a password manager. This will significantly up your security as it will help generate complex passwords, which you won’t have to remember because password managers have auto-fill capabilities.

Beyond the marketing

Before proceeding, here’s a quick summary of the differences between antivirus and internet security

• Antivirus protects against malware by scanning local files, whereas internet security monitors your online activities and protects you from downloading malware.
• Antivirus provides more basic features, while internet security programs are a combination of various security tools that include antivirus functions.
• Internet security stops hackers from exploiting network vulnerabilities.
• Antivirus and internet security are largely interchangeable when talking about the latest iterations of AV programs, which use cloud-based threat intelligence (previously limited to internet security) to identify and eliminate newer threats.

Vendors are now bundling antivirus and internet security together, so the distinction is pretty much about pricing tiers in the same line of products. Norton Antivirus and Norton 360 are good examples of this tiered approach. The former includes antivirus and basic security options, while the latter expands the offering to include extras like dark web monitoring, cloud backup, parental controls, and so on.

In a sense, it’s more about marketing than anything else, meaning that if you opt for an antivirus, you’ll also receive online protection, as well as the classic local file scans.

Which suite should you choose?

There are plenty of antivirus suites with powerful internet security capabilities to select from.

Let’s start with Avast, which has a capable free tier. In addition to a regular antivirus that detects threats in real time, it also scans for Wi-Fi security features, protects from ransomware, and spots fake sites. Opting for premium tiers unlocks more security tools, like a firewall, VPN, and sandboxing.

Same goes for Bitdefender, which has an excellent antivirus engine, while also blocking phishing emails and zero-day threats even in its free tier. Premium options are much more comprehensive, offering security bells and whistles that include a VPN, password manager, and data breach protection.

Norton Antivirus and its “heavier” version, Norton 360, are both great solutions. Along with AI detection, depending on the plan, you can also receive powerful identity protection services and parental controls, just to name a few.

These are just three examples. Whichever antivirus you go with, you’ll typically also receive internet protection in the basic subscriptions. Naturally, this doesn’t make your choice any easier, as most of these suites have overlapping functionalities, and are, as a rule, pretty good against various incarnations of malware.

Malware tests conducted by AV-Comparatives are a testament to this fact, as the majority of vendors on our list of best antivirus software boast offline and online detection rates that go as high as 99.6% in some cases. Thus, you’ll probably need to decide what features you want to have at your disposal and how much money you’re willing to pay for them. If you don’t care about the more sophisticated capabilities, then the free versions of these antivirus solutions may suffice, depending on your browsing habits.

You can read more about how to choose the best antivirus for you here.

Is a security suite enough?

In conclusion, internet security and an antivirus are indispensable tools for those who want to ensure that they’re doing everything in their power to safeguard their data and devices from cyber threats. As luck would have it, you no longer need separate programs as these two are often bundled together, so you can pretty much view them interchangeably.

A word of warning, though. Never let software lull you into a false sense of security. Despite how sophisticated these suites are, they’re not 100% foolproof. So, arm yourself with information on how to stay safe online and keep your eyes open at all times.