Virus protection that respects your privacy

Free antivirus program protects inbox
Instant removal of detected threats
Works on all devices; no installation needed

mail.com antivirus scan keeps your inbox safe

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Here at mail.com, we know that virus protection is essential to protecting your data and your devices. Our free antivirus software provides state-of-the-art security for your email account, keeping out viruses while respecting the privacy of your communications. This means that emails and attachments are not read, but only scanned for all types of malware.

You don’t have to lift a finger to enjoy this powerful protection, which is activated by default when you create a free email account at mail.com. Plus you don’t have to worry about performing updates, because we always keep our systems at the cutting edge of threat response. We also provide a powerful spam filter to help you block not only junk mail, but potentially harmful emails as well.

How to stay safe online

With mail.com you can rest assured that your devices are protected and your data is in safe hands. Our antivirus program is your first line of defense against numerous external threats associated with online activity. There are a number of things you can do to further minimize online dangers:

Regularly update your computer’s antivirus software and other programs, including your operating system.
Do not open suspicious emails, which may have attachments or links that will infect your device with a virus or other malware.
Use strong passwords containing a mix of numbers, letters and special characters.
Shop safely online: only use trusted stores with the https extension in the URL.
Stay aware of the latest online scams and threats so you can avoid them.

FAQs: Virus protection

What is malware?

Malware, short for “malicious software” is an umbrella term for programs that are aimed at harming your computer – and profiting from doing so. This harm can take on many forms, from disabling your device to taking over its operations. Malware can steal or delete your private data, passwords, bank account information or contact lists. It can even spy on your computer activity without you even realizing it. There are many types of malware, including viruses, Trojan horses, worms, adware, bots, bugs, rootkits and spyware.

What are the warning signs of a malware infection?

Computer or smartphone viruses can manifest themselves as a range of issues. If you notice the following common malware symptoms, your device might be infected:

Your device is unusually slow or freezes or crashes often.
You notice a significantly higher number of pop-up ads (You should never click on pop-ups; they are often adware and will install potentially harmful software without permission.)
Your internet connection is unusually slow or you are unable to connect at all.
Some of your programs or applications are missing or self-starting.
You are locked out of your computer or device.

How does an antivirus scan work?

An antivirus scan is a process performed by antivirus software to identify and subsequently eradicate viruses and other malicious software from your computer or device. Such scanning is particularly important when it comes to email, since it is susceptible to external threats. Virus and malware identification methods fall into several categories:

Signature-based detection compares files using a database of known threats.
Heuristic analysis identifies common characteristics within malware code.
Behavior-based detection identifies a behavioral fingerprint as the threat begins its malicious action.
Sandbox testing executes malware programs in a virtual environment to determine whether the code is malicious.
Data mining techniques use machine learning algorithms to classify the behavior of a threat.

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