Best virus scanner and malware detector?

[Bizman]

"Files of interest are submitted (executables, documents etc)", you say. Do I understand you right in assuming those are files that are downloaded by the end user, either from a download location or via e-mail? If so, doing a risk analysis for a home user is relatively straightforward.

[Vulcan]

"Files of interest are submitted (executables, documents etc)", you say. Do I understand you right in assuming those are files that are downloaded by the end user, either from a download location or via e-mail? If so, doing a risk analysis for a home user is relatively straightforward.

Yes and no it's not.

[Bizman]

Yes and no it's not.

I love it when people can express themselves with few words. 

[Shuffler]

Many companies assume they have security and they do not. Simply having software will not get it done. You have to spend the time educating your employees who have access to the outside or to links.

The one person I had trouble with here is now gone. She is now my brother's exwife. He used to brag about how much she knew about computers, she was a software developer at one time. She knew very little about computers, networks, and hardware. She did not know that much about software.

She had the only computer to get infected in this company. It was infected three times with ransomware.

I was able to fairly easily remove the offending files and clean the system each time. In the end her computer had no connection to any other computer in the company.

I can't imagine having a huge company full of idiots like that. Scary!!

[Mister Fork]

Talk to any of the IT security experts (I'm one of them), AVOID using paid-for anti-virus products at all costs. They don't work well. Period. In fact, they don't work at all - and now most just track your computer use and then sell the data to marketers.  Same goes for any 'tune-up' apps out there. All are garbage really. Cause more issues and most just track your activity.

And most common antivirus platforms just slow down your computers and give hackers another program to use to infiltrate your PC.

The built-in Windows antivirus engines are just as and more powerful than anything you can buy of the web or shelf. Kaspersky included.

Use a browser with anti-ad/anti-popup plugins - that will protect you against 99.9% of the zero-day exploits out there.  And be careful when installing freeware software. I mean, look at CCLEANER - good quality free app - and it got compromised.

For my boys - I tell them "NO MODS" for their games. That is where most viruses will come from. Use platform websites that can control your mods you want for your games. And it's why I use STEAM and then let them mod their steam games via that platform. And there are dozens of platform types of websites that help manage modding of your favourite games.

[Bizman]

Hmmm... I just read about anti-ad plugins and how they could collect even more information about you and your surfing habits than the ads they prevent. So far it's just a possibility, AFAIK, but when you thing about them, they're on all of the time even on sites that don't include third party ads such as banks. Who keeps watch over the watchmen?

[Skuzzy]

I have a general approach to most things today.  If it is free and it is constantly being updated and there is no sign of how they derive revenue, then they are probably collecting data from you so they can make money from it.

I have noticed the term "spyware" is no longer being used much today.  Seems all the rage now with almost every big player in the market doing it.

As far as anti-xxxx goes.  I quit using any of it around 2004 and have never had a computer get anything I was not aware of before it happened.

[Mister Fork]

Hmmm... I just read about anti-ad plugins and how they could collect even more information about you and your surfing habits than the ads they prevent. So far it's just a possibility, AFAIK, but when you thing about them, they're on all of the time even on sites that don't include third party ads such as banks. Who keeps watch over the watchmen?

Bizman - it would be helpful if you could be specific... are you must be referring to WOT? They got busted last year for collecting browsing info. Otherwise, it could be perceived as a 'grand wet-blanket comment'

I use AdBlock - the one where the dude takes donations. You're right that the other ones that call themselves 'adblockers' are not what they claim to be and my be related to your comment.

Best in the internet right now: https://help.getadblock.com/ - adblock also publishes their source code.

[Mister Fork]

I have a general approach to most things today.  If it is free and it is constantly being updated and there is no sign of how they derive revenue, then they are probably collecting data from you so they can make money from it.

I have noticed the term "spyware" is no longer being used much today.  Seems all the rage now with almost every big player in the market doing it.

As far as anti-xxxx goes.  I quit using any of it around 2004 and have never had a computer get anything I was not aware of before it happened.

I agree. Every time I ran into an issue with malicious software - the antivirus software was just stomped on by the virus/malware. Including Kaspersky, MalwareBytes, Bitlocker, Norton, McAfee, and Microsoft.  Then I go into a 'lock-down' of the OS, remove the drive, and clean it on an uninfected computer as an attached drive - then re-attach it. There are a plethora of 'post-infection' tools you can use too. All do a pretty good job of fixing your OS. But even with that - I still have residual damage effects of my OS acting a little wonky for a while.

All viruses do damage - and most then infect your system restore points and backups.  Best advice - don't install mods/apps openly and make sure the location you install from is legit. There are web tools out there that can validate if a site is notorious or is known as clean. And when visiting websites - avoid the clickbaits. You're opening yourself to zero-day browser exploits as most of these garbage clickbait sites don't monitor the types of ads that appear.

[Bizman]

I'd like to be more specific, but the article I read wasn't. Or rather it was an editor's comment, a short piece of information in an IT magazine. Most likely the comment was inspired by the WOT case.

Anyway, the point is to stay alert and double check any add-ons and other installs. There's too many fishy partners in the Internet, promising you the princess and half the kingdom. A published source code can be considered as a proof of reliability. Good reviews in several reputable sources being another.

Oh, and I use Adblock, too, and Disconnect. They do a marvelous work for disabling the misleading green "download" buttons on reputable help sites such as bleepingcomputer. As you hinted, the type of ads may not be monitored.

[zack1234]

The new Next Gen AV uses other methods to detect malware and does it very well. My recommendation is Next Gen AV + and old school signature based scanner (like the free MS one) is a good mix/balance. The only challenge is the consumer is limit in choice (most NGAV is not interested in the consumer market).

Yes your a techy in English please

[Mister Fork]

There's too many fishy partners in the Internet, promising you the princess and half the kingdom.

Isn't that the honest truth? 

[Wiley]

Yes your a techy in English please

Consumer grade antivirus sucks, the stuff he's talking about is too expensive for home use.

Wiley.

[Vulcan]

Many companies assume they have security and they do not. Simply having software will not get it done. You have to spend the time educating your employees who have access to the outside or to links.

No true. I have seen a corrupted image file deliver malware via email, it required no user interaction - it simply needed to hit their email client.

[Vulcan]

Talk to any of the IT security experts (I'm one of them), AVOID using paid-for anti-virus products at all costs. They don't work well. Period. In fact, they don't work at all - and now most just track your computer use and then sell the data to marketers.  Same goes for any 'tune-up' apps out there. All are garbage really. Cause more issues and most just track your activity.

And most common antivirus platforms just slow down your computers and give hackers another program to use to infiltrate your PC.

The built-in Windows antivirus engines are just as and more powerful than anything you can buy of the web or shelf. Kaspersky included.

Use a browser with anti-ad/anti-popup plugins - that will protect you against 99.9% of the zero-day exploits out there.  And be careful when installing freeware software. I mean, look at CCLEANER - good quality free app - and it got compromised.

For my boys - I tell them "NO MODS" for their games. That is where most viruses will come from. Use platform websites that can control your mods you want for your games. And it's why I use STEAM and then let them mod their steam games via that platform. And there are dozens of platform types of websites that help manage modding of your favourite games.

I'm an IT security expert and I don't agree with you at all. The built in Windows AV is terrible, you talk about avoiding paid products then point out that free stuff like ccleaner got compromised. None of the major AV vendors I know track your data and sell it.