Luketan/antivirus

I've known of this for a while but it appears to be still quite unknown.

Sometimes Antivir antivirus auto-downloads for updates are slow. Use this site for a manual download.

After downloading, all you need to do is to open Antivir, go to manual updates and select the downloaded file (you don't need to unzip the file).

From the page: "USBVirusScan will launch any program you provide as a command line parameter each time a USB stick is inserted. I use it to start a full virus scan on the inserted USB drive, hence the name."

AVAST! My pick is a very popular antivirus, this new release 4.8 (beta) is quite significant.

From the page: "4.8 is quite an important update for us.

It contains the following major improvements:
- a built-in antirootkit module
- a built-in self-defense module
- starting with v4.8, avast is now officially an antispyware application, too (CheckMark certified).

Plus there's a number of not-so-big new features, such as the ability to track scan progress and a large number of improvements in both the scanning engine and other components (such as the boot-time scanner, and the updater).

BTW This first beta build will be followed by another one (most likely in about a week). This is because it still doesn't contain some of the anti-rootkit functionality (so far, boot-time scan can be used to detect/remove rootkits; in the next beta, the GUI scanners will also feature antirootkit capabilities).

Also, in this first version, we're still aware of some methods to bypass the self-defense module, and these are being worked on continuously. This especially applies to the ashDisp.exe process which is somewhat harder to protect than the rest (i.e. the avast services) as it shares the user's logon session and is thus more easily attackable.
"

I reviewed this free on demand Kaspersky tool recently
But they finally released an official homepage.

My pick

From the page: "Grisoft has launched a free beta version of the newly developed AVG 8. The software is said to offer many improvements and has apparently been reprogrammed from scratch. New features include a module for checking web and instant messenger traffic, the LinkScanner malicious script filter developed by the recently acquired Exploit Prevention Labs, and an anti-rootkit component. The new scan engine supposedly improves general detection rates and offers more effective heuristics - as well as being faster and requiring less resources than its predecessor. The new user interface is designed to make access easier for less experienced computer users, but the menu also still offers extended expert settings."



You can register and download the beta here

My pick




Kaspersky antivirus (KAV) is known as one of the best antiviruses (some say it is the absolute best together with NOD), with top performances at antivirus testing sites such as AV-Comparatives.org . This is mainly due to its large signature database, fast updates as well as strong static unpackers that allow it to unpack more packers/cryphers than most antiviruses.


Unfortunately, they don't offer a free version. At least one that detects and clean.

For instance the Online full disk scanner they provide doesn't clean. A lot of people are also using MWAV because it uses KAV engine, but again this doesn't disinfect (among other drawbacks).

So it is very exciting that Kasparsky themselves are offering this (currently beta) tool. It is similar to offering like Dr web's Cureit offering on demand scans (you can customize what folders to scan) and it cleans too! Of course it doesn't offer on-access/realtime protection

Do note, that for some reason they don't offer a updater function (unlike Cureit), so you will need to download the whole package everytime!
That said it is still good to run periodically (say once a month), for a second opinion.

Also unlike the others mention, it is not as portable as it installs a service that is set to autostart!







For a free tool , it is very configurable, allowing you to set what to scan, how much to scan, whether to use heuristics etc..





Important note :Uncheck the self-defence box, if you want to uninstall this program!



Selected Alternatives : Dr Web's Cureit! , MWAV,
Prevx Computer Security Investigator (CSI), See more alternatives at freeware wiki

From the page: "Our FREE Prevx CSI scanner allows you to benefit from the knowledge gained from our vast community of users. Prevx CSI scanner is click-and-go, requires no installation or reboot, which means it's quick and easy to use. Its small size allows you to take it anywhere and use it as many times as you like, and even copy it to your friends."

Note, it will check the servers for updates when you run it, and any information it gets from your system will be used as well if relevant. See EULA.



Prevx is great and all that, but I find it somewhat slow sometimes, however the concept of prevx which combines whitelists, blacklists, heuristics and community based networks is essentially sound, and with this new tool, you can benefit from Prevx without having to install the full Prevx system.

Also note, that it detects but does not remove unless you pay.
Essentially what you get is a portable on demand anti-malware check that is free, quick and does not need installation!

From the page: "Antivirus product self-protection testing methodology

Testing was conducted on a specially prepared test stand running under VMware GSX Server. A �oeclean” Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2 virtual machine was cloned for each antivirus product."

A interesting new antivirus testing page. They try to test seldom tested aspects of antiviruses , like self-protection, anti-rootkit, packer support etc.