How Threats Are Handled

Threat Type

Response

Viruses

Your security software analyzes basic information about every file that you open, save, or download. It will attempt to remove viruses from any infected files. Upon finding spyware or some other kind of "uncleanable" threat, your security software deletes the file instead.

Note: If your security software does not have full "read/write" access to the file containing the threat (the file might have been stored on a CD-ROM or a "read-only" network drive), then it cannot remove the file. You should never open such files or copy them onto your computer.

Spyware

Your security software will delete the entire file or program. Occasionally, you will need to restart your computer to clear the memory and finish removing a threat.

Web Threats
Upon detecting a website that could pose a threat, your security software will block access to it.

Note: While some websites contain obvious threats or look blatantly fraudulent, others might only pose a risk. Whether or not potentially unsafe websites are blocked depends on the setting selected for Web Threat Protection.