Am I protected by Bitdefender?
Am I protected?
In this article we are going to show you how to determine if Bitdefender is protecting your computer.
1. Find out if Bitdefender is installed
To check if Bitdefender is installed on your computer open Control Panel and look for Bitdefender in the list of installed applications: click the Start button, type in appwiz.cpL and hit Enter your keyboard. This will open the list of all the programs installed on your PC. Look for the name of your Bitdefender product in the list: Bitdefender Total Security, Bitdefender Internet Security, Bitdefender Antivirus Plus, etc.
If Bitdefender is missing from the list of installed programs, read – How to install Bitdefender.
2. Check the security status of your Bitdefender product
Now that Bitdefender is installed let’s check its security status, to ensure that it’s protecting your system.
Double-click this Desktop shortcut to open the Bitdefender dashboard. You are protected if the message You are safe is displayed on the Bitdefender interface. Whenever issues are affecting the security of your computer, the status that appears on the upper side of the Bitdefender interface changes into red. The displayed status indicates the nature of issues affecting your system. To fix an issue, click the button next to the detected issue.
Alternatively, look for the small Bitdefender icon in the notification area of the task-bar. If you double-click or right click on this icon and choose Show, the Bitdefender interface will open on your screen. The Bitdefender system tray icon also informs you when issues affect your computer or how the product operates by displaying a special symbol, as follows:
No issues are affecting the security of your system. You are protected!
Critical issues are affecting the security of your system. They require your immediate attention and must be fixed as soon as possible.
If Bitdefender is not working at all, the system tray icon appears grayed-out. This usually happens when the subscription expires. If you need help purchasing a Bitdefender subscription, read – How can I place an order?
It can also occur when the Bitdefender services are not responding or when other errors affect the normal operation of Bitdefender. In such case we recommend that you restart Windows. If the issue persists after reboot, reinstall your Bitdefender product.
3. Check your subscription status
Bring up the Bitdefender interface from the Desktop icon or from the system tray icon and access My Account in the navigation menu. Here, you can view subscription information and access your Bitdefender Central account to manage your devices’ protection.
Check the subscription status to make sure that the subscription is up to date, and is not expiring soon. If you recently purchased a new Bitdefender subscription and the validity is not reflected in the installed product, read – How to activate your Bitdefender subscription.
4. Check Security and Maintenance status in Windows
The Security and Maintenance feature from Windows Action Center will also inform you if you have antivirus protection:
. Click the Start button, type in Control Panel, then hit Enter your keyboard. This will open Control Panel on your screen.
. Under System and Security, click Review your computer’s status.
. Click Security to expand this section.
. Click the link View in Windows Security, under Virus protection.
. In the Virus & threat protection window you should see Bitdefender Antivirus with green check-marks.
5. Perform the EICAR Test to test virus detection
The European Institute for Computer Antivirus Research (EICAR) has developed a test file to help test antivirus programs. When Bitdefender is working properly, it should detect the EICAR test.
If you click the link below, your system will attempt to download the EICAR test file. This file is not actually malicious, but by industry-wide agreement it is detected as malicious by mainstream products with antivirus functionality so that people can verify that their security solutions are configured correctly.
Download the EICAR.COM Testfile
If you are able to download the above file successfully and you do not receive any Bitdefender alert, your computer is not protected. We recommend you to contact Bitdefender for support.