Virus, Malware & Rootkit Cleanup Links

When a system becomes infected a lot of users are not sure what to do next.

This page is a list of scanners, cleaners and all that good stuff. Lots of options out there, hopefully this list will make it a little easier finding what things you should try :-)

Please note, I get busy with all the other programs and forget to update this page. If you have anything you think should be added to this page just send me an email or post in the forums and I will get it added :-)



When it comes to an antivirus there is one thing you must understand. No antivirus is perfect. An antivirus can only protect against what it knows. Virus makeers will make new viruses that are not detected. Then the antivirus gets updated. It is a back and fourth thing that both sides win and only the user in the middle loses. This is why I don't pay for antivirus and use the free versions.

Proper habits and keeping java and flash up to date help keep your system clean.
www.java.com
www.adobe.com

So when it comes to an antivirus that I run on all my machines and on all my customers home machines I did some research.

I needed an antivirus that was free, good at detecting viruses and didn't take a hit on performance on the system.

A good place to see how your antivirus does is here
http://www.av-comparatives.org/

I found that avast had one of the faster scanners out there. That means that it takes less of a performance hit on that system than any of the others.

But if your looking for a free AV then give avast a try.

Personally I stopped using Avast a while back because of the large amount of false positives I get from it. I am currently only use Microsoft Security Essentials, and yes it does work just fine :-)

Avast
http://www.avast.com




For malware I use malwarebytes. There are many others and it doesn't hurt to run a few of them. These are not antiviruses, but simply other scanners to run when you feel your system is infected.

Malwarebytes
http://www.malwarebytes.org/

Super Anti Spyware
http://superantispyware.com/

These are but a few options out there. There really is no best, so here are some more for you to try if you need :-)




"Probably the Best Free Security List in the World"
http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/probably-best-free-security-list-world.htm?page=0,2

"Best Free Rootkit Scanner and Remover"
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-rootkit-scanner-remover.htm#Quick_Selection_Guide



http://malwaretips.com/blogs/remove-zeroaccess-rootkit/



















From Hannibal:
Definitely, I think "Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool" should be added to the tool list on the page.
(One of) the most efficient cleaning tool.
Can get it here : http://support.kaspersky.com/viruses/utility
or here : http://www.kaspersky.com/antivirus-removal-tool?form=1

Just one advice to this :
Set it up before to make manual changes following the scan report if you want (instead of default automatic removals).
So it won't remove unwanted items... and it lets you choose wisely.




Have more helpful links that I can add to this page? Drop a line in the forums and let me know :-)
http://www.tweaking.com/forums/index.php

-Shane