Malware Solutions

[Mehar]

In light of the recent spam bot attack on the forums, we've compiled a list of free malware software you can use if you are lacking one. If you clicked or think you clicked a spambot link we recommend you run a scan of your PC immediately.



Microsoft Security Essentials
AVG
Malware Bytes

If you have your own preferences (preferably free) feel free to post them below.

In the meantime, we are tying to get in touch with BigMike and see if there are ways to improve the present situation.

[Darren]

I find http://www.malwarebytes.org/ picks up alot of stuff other programmes miss out on.
Also Linux for life*

[reds]

I find http://www.malwarebytes.org/ picks up alot of stuff other programmes miss out on.
Also Linux for life*

Ah yeah I always forget about that, from my experience maybe the best I've used.

[Intelekshual]

All of the above are in my arsenal of tools, but I've found that the newest version of Avast! does a better job at finding malware than others.

http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download

You should always use two independent programs, though, to get the best coverage (not at the same time, obviously).

[nike22]

f you have your own preferences (preferably free) feel free to post them below.

[Darren]

All of the above are in my arsenal of tools, but I've found that the newest version of Avast! does a better job at finding malware than others.

http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download

You should always use two independent programs, though, to get the best coverage (not at the same time, obviously).

The free edition of Avast with its real time scanner on, combined with a malwarebytes scan about once a month and possibly superantispyware
http://www.superantispyware.com works extremely well in my experience.

Although its hard to beat using your common sense and being wary while online.

[GM]

I would scratch AVG out of this topic. AVG is anti-virus not necessarily malware, and of course, being free it has major limitations. From my experience with AVG & various other free anti-virus software it sure as hell didn't pick up any trojans or new viruses that were being spread, so I always put my trust into McAfee Total Protection for anti-virus & firewall as well as network protection.

Regarding Malware, here is a list of what I use & find the best through many years of experience:

• MalwareBytes
• SpyBot Search & Destroy

Then to keep your PC clean I'd highly suggest using:

• CCLeaner - it keeps your PC not only full of space but also fast if you're running Windows as it cleans & fixes registry problems & errors that cause things to load slow.

Then of course to top it all off you should always back-up your data; I use this free back-up utility:

• MozyHome - to find the free version go to the MozyHome Page, mouse over Products on the Navigation Bar Menu and click Mozy Home from the drop down menu. You will see the free version on the left hand side towards the middle of the page. I'm including my referral link because it rewards BOTH YOU & I with an extra 0.5GB of space for FREE

As for anti-virus I'll always suggest McAfee. Always buy Total Protection, but never buy from their site. I usually buy it every year for $10-$30. You can ALWAYS find a deal a few times a month on Deals2Buy.com & Buy.com and if you're impatient you can find the cheapest price on PriceGrabber.com Get the 3-user protection...it's always cheaper than the 1-user and lets you protect up to 3 PCs. Definitely worth it & truly the best; better detection & protection than everything paid & free I've tried (which is a lot) and not annoying like Norton.

[Darren]

Any Linux users in the house?

[Intelekshual]

As for anti-virus I'll always suggest McAfee.

And I'll always suggest that people stay away from McAfee. While it has improved in the last few years, it is still not the "best" and certainly not worth the money. It reports more false positives than almost any other protection suite, which is a serious headache for people that do more than just click on "work from home" craigslist ads and open email attachments from Nigerian royalty.

And while I think it is a resource hog, I also know that it isn't really relevant anymore given the current state of computer hardware. However, in comparison to other more responsive anti-virus suites, it uses the most resources, which makes it a relative resource hog. And that just won't do.

It has also been documented that it has the slowest scan speed, which can cause performance problems if you let the on-demand scan have liberal access to your file system.

The rest of the applications you mention are all good recommendations and have a permanent place in my tech toolbelt.

[reds]

Any Linux users in the house?

Yeah I know this is an old topic, whatever. Tried Ubuntu a while ago but went back to windows, however working at a web development company I switched to Ubuntu and since then that's all I use, even at home.

For a more updated list, I'd say these are good solutions:

• MalwareBytes (as mentioned by GM)
• Microsoft Security Essentials

CCleaner is still great for cleaning your computer. The combo of MSE, Windows Firewall and MalwareBytes kept my computer in perfect standing for some time when I had Windows.

[B.Little]

Also running an updated modern browser is important to stay safe on the Internet. Make sure you keep your OS upto date, there is a reason for the updates released between major versions. Doesn't matter what system you run they can all be subject to attacks, even macs and Linux. As other OSs popularity rises so does there risk to malware and virus attacks.

[reds]

Also running an updated modern browser is important to stay safe on the Internet. Make sure you keep your OS upto date, there is a reason for the updates released between major versions. Doesn't matter what system you run they can all be subject to attacks, even macs and Linux. As other OSs popularity rises so does there risk to malware and virus attacks.

Great points, especially keeping Windows up to date since it suffers so many attacks. I still have to think, largely, if you're careful what website you click on and have a solid anti-virus, firewall, modern browser, all that stuff you shouldn't have any issues in that regard.

[godboko71]

Keeping things up to date is almost as much about keeping people vigilant about there online security as it is about being safer with up to date software. Of the Mac and Linux systems that come in the shop it's because they bought the branding that you didn't have to think about your security with said systems. Yes windows is more susceptible to attack however with good proactive protection you can be just as safe on windows as *nix.