Antivirus
An antivirus software’s primary function is to detect and stop viruses that could cause harm to your system or compromise the security of your connected devices. It can be installed on individual endpoints or it can operate as an antivirus engine (AV engine) to perform traffic inspection inside a Next Generation Firewall (NGFW).
The FortiGate’s AV engine operates by leveraging the information stored in signature databases that is updated in real-time by the FortiGuard AV services. These databases are essentially vast repositories that contain detailed profiles of known and previously unknown viruses. The AV engine cross-references these profiles with the activities and files on your system to determine if any known or previously unknown viruses are active or attempting to infiltrate your network.
The scope of threats that the antivirus engine can neutralize extends beyond just viruses. It is equipped to deal with a wide array of malicious software, often called malware. This encompasses, but is not confined to, infected files that may carry harmful code, Trojans that disguise themselves as legitimate software, worms that can replicate themselves and spread across networks, and spyware that can collect and transmit your personal information without your consent. Furthermore, inline malware prevention powered by Sandboxing and AI extends protection to even new zero-day malware found in the wild.
This section includes information about antivirus techniques and configurations: