heuristics

Heuristics is the study of methods for detecting new knowledge.

Heuristic methods are used, for example, in the detection of new viruses, mainly in the period when no new update forvirus scanners has been developed. In order to minimize the damage caused by a new virus during the period in which the manufacturers are developing updates for new viruses, heuristic methods are used to intercept the malware. In this process, virus scanners look for suspicious code that, for example, formats the hard disk or establishes unexpected online connections. The detection of such phenomena is indicated by the virus scanner.