How to Set Up and Use CyberGhost Antivirus on Windows

CyberGhost Antivirus helps protect your Windows device through technology developed by Intego, our trusted security partner.

Intego Antivirus installs as a separate app alongside CyberGhost VPN, giving you access to its full range of antivirus features as part of the CyberGhost Security Suite for Windows.

System Requirements

Operating system:
Windows 7 or higher

Hardware:
500 MB free drive space
2 GB RAM

Internet connection:

An internet connection is required.

A high-speed connection is recommended.
 

Jump To:

• How to Install
• How to Run a Security Scan
• How to Schedule a Scan
• How to Handle Security Risks
  • Add Exclusions
• Additional Features
  • Real-Time Protection
  • Prevention Engine
  • Cloud Protection

How to Install 

You can install CyberGhost Antivirus through the CyberGhost VPN client: 

1. Start the CyberGhost VPN client by clicking on its desktop icon or from the Start menu entry. Log in with your CyberGhost credentials.
2. Select the antivirus logo from the left side. A welcome screen with a short description will be displayed. Click the Install button to launch the installation process.

3. Wait until the process is complete. If prompted, select Yes to allow the app to make changes to your device. 

How to Run a Security Scan

Once installation is complete, CyberGhost Antivirus automatically updates virus definitions. You’ll be taken to the Activity window, where you can see details such as when you last ran a scan and which protection services are active. You’ll also see your overall security status. 

If you suspect you have a threat, you can manually perform the following actions:

• Quick Scan: Analyze the areas of your computer most vulnerable to threats.
• Full Scan: Analyze your entire system, including all apps, files, and running processes.
• Custom Scan: Drag and drop specific files, folders, or disks that you want to scan.

Once a scan is complete, you can view the results in the Activity section. You can also automate future scans instead of starting each one manually. 

How to Schedule a Scan

Scheduled Scan lets you choose when scans run and how often they repeat.

1. Select Scheduled Scan in the bottom-left corner of the antivirus section.

2. Click the toggle under Scheduled Scan to enable the feature. 
   • You can use Scan type to select between Quick Scan and Full Scan.
   • The Scan time section lets you select specific days and a time to run the scan on.
   • The Interval option lets you choose how often you want to run a scheduled scan.

Like with regular scans, the results will appear in the Activity section. To turn off Scheduled Scan, simply click the yellow toggle under Scheduled Scan again.
 

How to Handle Security Risks

When CyberGhost Antivirus identifies a security risk, it automatically blocks it and places it in quarantine to protect you.

CyberGhost displays a Threats Found alert with suggestions on how to address the security risk:

1. In the CyberGhost main window, click Activity then Click to open quarantine.

2. Select a threat from the list and choose which action to take: 
   • Keep in quarantine: Keep the suspected file isolated so it cannot affect other parts of your computer. 
   • Delete file: Permanently deletes the threat from your PC. 
   • Restore file: Returns the file to its original location if you determine that it’s safe. 

Add Exclusions

You can also exclude specific files, folders, or processes from scans or quarantine with the Exclusions option. 

• The Files & folders tab at the top lets you add any folder or file from your computer with the Add folder(s) and Add file(s) options.

• The Processes tab and the Add process option let you do the same for specific processes on your computer.

Excluded files, folders, and processes bypass security scans, which may leave your device vulnerable if an excluded item is malicious. Only add an exclusion if you trust the item and are confident that it is safe.

To remove an exclusion, click the X beside the relevant file, folder, or process. 

Additional Features

The antivirus provides several additional features for added protection against malicious files.

Real-Time Protection

Real-Time Protection constantly monitors your PC for viruses and malware. You can see the status of Real-Time Protection in the settings, under Antivirus. It ensures that your PC is protected by scanning every file that’s created, copied, modified, or saved.

You can turn it on and off by clicking the toggle under Real-Time Protection. 

Note: Real-Time Protection doesn’t scan idle files already on your system. This is why we suggest you run or schedule a scan of all of your files when you first install CyberGhost Antivirus.

Prevention Engine

The Prevention Engine feature allows the antivirus to block zero-day threats (threats that exploit previously unknown vulnerabilities before a security update or fix is available). It uses advanced behavioral analysis technology to identify suspicious activity. You can enable or disable it by clicking the checkbox under Prevention Engine. 

Cloud Protection

Cloud Protection uploads samples of detected malware to the Antivirus cloud database for analysis. This can help identify similar threats and improve future detection. You can turn the feature off using the toggle, which stops the antivirus from sending these samples.

Need assistance? Contact our Customer Support team:

• via email at support@cyberghost.ro 
• via online request at https://support.cyberghostvpn.com/hc/en-us/requests/new 
• via 24/7 Live Chat by clicking the Support button below