Free anti-malware programs

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Free anti-malware programs

In this tutorial: How to use free and effective anti-malware programs in Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7

Last modified: 2012-02-27 15:53:41 EET

Any effective anti-virus program does a good job protecting from viruses, worms, Trojans and basic malware, but they often lack detection of seriously dangerous malware that is able to hide itself from Windows and therefore avoid detection. While there are no free and effective real-time (scanning all items while they try to enter your computer; not just on-demand scanning) anti-malware programs, you should still run an anti-malware scan at least once a month. And you can do this for free!

If using terms "antivirus" and "antimalware" confuses you, read this article about how viruses differ from other malware.

Must-have: Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware Free

Often abbreviated to "MBAM", Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware has a very good detection and removal rate. It does have a paid version that includes real-time scanning and some other minor enhancements, but let's keep our protection free, shall we?

With frequent updates to detection library and the program itself, Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware is a must-have among malware scanners. Its only drawbacks are lack of automatic updates and scheduled scanning.

Should have: Spybot - Search & Destroy

Spybot - Search & Destroy is a program that provides some passive protection by blocking malicious sites via Windows hosts file and web browsers' configuration. Its updates and scanning can be scheduled.

Version 2 of the good old program is just around the corner and it will provide some real-time malware protection for free.

Last resort: ComboFix

ComboFix is not the program you should use often. It is a very powerful rootkit remover and it makes some changes, such as fiddling with Folder Options and default Internet browser.

If all anti-virus and anti-malware scans fail, ComboFix will probably catch and remove the nasty malware.