Best adware/spyware/malware detector

[Doug Nelson]

I've had two instances in the past week that are too much of a coincidence, I think the computer of one of my correspondents has malware on it. I know they're using Windows OneCare, but what's the current best scanner for Windows/Vista I can recommend they run?

It used to be Spybot, but it's been a couple of years since I needed to check.

Suggestions?

[gmitchel]

I use Trend Micro Internet Security Pro.

[jhebert]

Unfortunately, "the best" changes about every 4-6 months.

I have experienced great results with real-world badware about 3 months back with XSoftSpy (http://www.paretologic.com/products.aspx) and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (http://www.malwarebytes.org/).

James

For an all-in-one solution, I personally like Kaspersky's Internet Security 2009.

[w23]

What does this have to do with retouching?

[chillin]

None of adware/spyware/malware detectors worked for me...now, the NOD takes care of everything.

[Kraellin]

well, that's the secret, doug. there isnt any ONE best scanner or anti-malware product. generally, it's a good idea to have more than one, especially if you're having trouble or have had any recent trouble. trend micro, mcaffe, norton, avg, they're all pretty good, but none of them will get everything and all of them are a half step behind the malware writers. that's because the preventers dont know what to prevent until it's been put out there (usually). and that's where microsoft dropped the ball. too many holes in the o/s.

so, you use a suite of products. spybot is very good. i used to use it and use the active/live detect thing. avg is good and free. zone alarm for a firewall or the windows firewall. and one secret weapon i use is 'scotty'. 'scotty' is the watchdog of WinPatrol, one of the best preventitive programs out there. it's not anti-virus, per se. scotty keeps an eye on your startup routines mostly. if someone tries to drop something in there, which is what a lot of the viruses rely on to trigger, scotty stops them, calls them up for you to look at and then you decide whether you want to allow this or not. i've saved myself more hassles with this program than any other i own! scotty will even block quicktime from getting in your computer startups. and it certainly stops most trojans from becoming active.

you're also going to want ad-aware and hijackthis. both of these are great programs. ad-aware was specifically designed to find hidden adware, but it can also find other malicious crap. and hijackthis is a great finder of malware, especially within your browser. i used to get my browser hijacked on a fairly regular basis. with better practices and better preventers, i havent been jacked in several years and i'm on the net a LOT.

and, though there are probably a lot of good programs out there, i'd stick to the name brands, if possible, because there are also programs designed to LOOK like helpers that are themselves malware of one kind or another. generally, be cautious of anything that looks too good to be true. look for references on other sites, especially sites that handle malware and malware problems.

and chillin, what is 'the NOD'?

and w23, welcome to RP. what it has to do with retouching is that a lot of this business is now digital. if we dont become a bit computer savvy and malware aware, you wont be doing any digital business for long. so, it's a bit of a necessary evil.

[chillin]

Originally Posted by Kraellin

and chillin, what is 'the NOD'?

Here is some more info.

[Kraellin]

thanks, chillin

[lkroll]

If you do suspect a virus issue, then, if possible, I would take the harddrive out and scan it externally using another PC to "sicken" the animal. While in this mode, I would also delete all junkfiles (i.e., c:\Documents and Settings\{user}\Local Settings\Temp, c:\Documents and Settings\{user}\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.ie5, C:\Windows\Temp, and C:\Windows\Prefetch {not necessary, but every so often, I delete all the contents of the Prefetch folder too}). Again, the external scan won't eliminate the virus since the registry entries can not be eliminated this way. After doing this, then place the harddrive back into your PC and do a few Safe-mode scans (press the F8 key while booting up to get to this selection and choose Safe-mode with Networking). When in Safe-mode, download malwarebytes, and Spybot Search and Destroy from CNET's Download site; yes you can download and install these two programs in Safemode. After running these programs, then go to FSecure Online and run this one. So many cool online scanners but hopefully the above will be good enough. Can spend hours eliminating all bugs; alway better to just doe a Wipe and Reload with Data backup imo.

When you have eliminated all bugs, I would suggest using a Sandbox (like Forcefield (new program from Zonelabs, or Sandboxie, which I do use; paid them some money too and you know how cheap I am. Sandboxie is free for personal use, but you may get nags after about a month of use). If you are religeous with it, you will never get a malware program again. I still have an active Virus scanner (FreeAVG is what I've been using for over 7 years now; still quite happy with it) and Firewall (sorry though it may be, I got tired of compatibility issues that kept coming up with Zonealarm, so I'm now only using the built in Windows firewall; good enough for now) running, but I can assure you that Sandboxie is fantastic. Also, only use your email client for archiving. Always read you email first via web browser. You can eliminate much junk before you archive the messages on our local machine.

Yes, I repair PCs (unfortunately it's not been fulltime work of late).

Pertinent links:

Sandboxie
Forcefield
Malwarebytes
Spybot S&D
Grisoft FreeAVG

[lkroll]

Craig already mentioned it, but Hijaakthis is very useful too. I run this before to eliminate entries I know are bad and run it afterwards to eliminate junk entries left after mal-ware scanning is complete. Be careful with this gem though.

Also, the answere Craig, NOD32 is, arguably, the best anti-malware tool around, but it ain't (pardon my southern french; lol) free. We use this gem at work and I also use it to scan customer drives. Well worth the money if you have it to spend.

[chillin]

I use Registry Fix from time to time to remove leftover entries.

[L33t]

I like Norton or NOD32... but NOD32 do stupid stuff, I can't play games. Now both uninstalled.

It has absolutely nothing to do with firewall stuff, even If I enable it... so no comment for this.

But I recommend NOD32 if you have sucky computer.