Why You Should Not Use an Expired Antivirus?

If you are using an antivirus software since one or two years then you might have come across the message which may be similar to something like this ‘Your Antivirus Protection Has Expired’. Expiration dates are not only for medicines, but even the antivirus software you are using can also turn outdated, opening doors to a huge world of countless cyber threats. In simple terms, using expired antivirus is as dangerous as using no security software. Usually people tend to ignore it at the first instance and adopt a casual attitude to renew it at a later stage or not at all go with the renewal process and continue using the expired version.

What Happens when Antivirus Licence Expires?

While you may think that you will get some protection with your expired version of antivirus software but let me tell you that you are wrong as an expired anti malware product puts you at a huge risk. Several features of your antivirus may stop working immediately after expiry of the license.  So common features, which gets disabled once the license of antivirus gets expired are follows:

Software Updates

 After your antivirus license has expired, the product will stop receiving updates from the developers end. Software updates are extremely important for bug fixes, feature additions and improvements in the current product. So if you miss these updates, your PC will be at a higher risk of facing a virus attack.

Ransomware Protection

Ransomware threat is increasing constantly with new family of viruses launching attacks to PC users every now and then. Proved to be one of the most dreaded types of malware, ransomware completely paralyses a system locking all valuable data on a user’s computer.  So it’s very important to have an updated version of anti-malware in your PC. As an expired version of antivirus fails to provide receive all required security updates, the PC becomes prone to ransomware attacks.

Security from Phishing

If your antivirus software has phishing protection feature then, you should keep on enjoying it for the security of your PC. The phishing protection feature of an antivirus software restricts access to phishing websites that can steal your valuable information such as your credit card and baking details.  However, license expiry, this feature may not work due to which you can accidentally land up in phishing websites and fall into the trap of cyber crooks. As per reports, every year there are several thousands of phishing attacks, which targets not only individuals but also corporate and even government organizations.

Web Browsing Protection

Many times you have noticed that when you click on any website, which has malware infection, your antivirus alerts you that there is a security threat ahead. Antivirus software usually blocks access to dangerous websites which are loaded with virus. But with an expired antivirus, you do not enjoy this feature and get into the risk of downloading a malware.

Anti-Spam (Email) Protection

Spam & phishing emails are quite common these days. While spam may be bit irritating for you as it bombards with advertisement, phishing is extremely dangerous. An anti-spam software prevents such type of emails from landing in your inbox, so you are prevented from clicking any phishing links sent via email.

Vulnerability Scan

Security loopholes in installed software in a PC results it to be vulnerable to cyber threats. If you have an antivirus software, the vulnerability may be reported to you from time-to-time but with an expired anti-malware, you do not get this privilege.

Based on the above mentioned, you can easily understand that an expired antivirus software puts your system at huge risk.