What are some of the better trojan/malware programs out there?

I

Iowabucks

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 22, 2008
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Hey everyone, Just got another bout of "Your computer is infected!!! Buy our cleaner!!" cleaned out of my computer today.

I have about 6 malware/trojan/virus scanners that i run once a month and i can say hands down the best is Malware Bytes Anti-Malware. I also have Spybot, A-Squared Free, AVG. Advanced System Protector, Spyware Blaster, and i run Windows Defender also. These other programs only seem to pick up cookies. Whenever i have a real problem with my computer, these find cookies and Malware Bytes find the trojans. I don't know what i would do without it.

Any free malware programs out there you would recommend for the hard to get rid of malware? Never hurts to have more good programs.
 
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I've been using Microsoft Security Essentials since day one (meaning the day it first became available) and I've never had issues with malware. I've used Firefox 3.6.x (currently 3.6.13) as my one and only browser (very rarely do I use IE8 for much of anything at all), and I simply have no malware issues anymore, period. I do use NoScript with Firefox, of course, so that can be a part of it.

And yes, I've been known to frequent places "where even angels fear to tread" on the big bad Internet... ;)

But I don't run anything else. And whenever I do use some other product temporarily for a test, just to see if MSE + FF + NoScript might have let something slip by, I end up with completely clean scan results, every single time whether it's some online scanner, MBAM, or whatever.

I did a complete Secunia PSI scan the other day, 100% score, I ran MBAM recently in light of the hacking/spamming crap here at this forum, 100% clean, not even a single tracking cookie found that could be a cause of a problem, so again MSE + Firefox + NoScript (the combination) is doing exactly what it's designed to do: keeping my boxen clean of the garbage out there.

My advice:

Use MSE + Firefox + NoScript, and forget all that other crap that doesn't do much of anything or actually help in any way at all. MBAM isn't an antivirus product, and a lot of people mistakenly think it is, sadly. IE8 is a possibility, and IE9 - once it's done 'cause I can't stand it presently - may be even more secure and a viable option for those that just won't use Firefox + NoScript.

Chrome is also a possibility if you're so inclined as they have a version of NoScript for it as well now. I haven't tested it for usefulness, however - I can only speak from experience of using Firefox + NoScript for a very long time and never having "caught" anything so far.

Prior to using MSE, I was a huge NOD32 fan but was looking for something "better" since they were beginning to get a little bloated with the release of version 3 and then 4. MSE came along almost exactly at the right time and I trust every machine I own with it, and it's what I install on client machines that I clean out also (and then provide the clients with basically the same info I just put in this post). Multiple apps, multiple virus scanners, excessive paranoia about malware and the like... it's not a good thing these days. :(

Good luck...
 
According to AV-Comparatives, MSE has a detection rate of only 97.6%. There are other free applications that got much better results: Avira (99.8% detection) and Panda (99.2% detection).
http://www.av-comparatives.org/images/stories/test/ondret/avc_od_aug2010.pdf

I use both Avira and Panda. I haven't seen any conflicts between them, and their RAM usage altogether barely exceeds 15MB. MSE used to consume 50MB when I was using it.
Add to those Comodo Firewall which serves as a firewall (doh!) and a HIPS. It monitors suspicious applications and asks me whether to allow them to do certain actions. Sort of like UAC, but it is smart enough to be aware that Firefox is a safe application; I only see the a prompt once every few days.

I've been using Firefox 4 beta since its inception. the security extensions I use are:
NoScript: When I first started using it, I didn't like it because it was too intrusive. Then I set it to allow javascript only on the domain I am visiting. Now it is much more bearable.
Adblock Plus: There are some subscriptions which prevent me from accessing malware domains. Sort of like the HOSTS file trick but on a browser level.
WOT: An icon on you navigation bar that glows yellow or red when you are accessing an unsafe site.

Ghostery and BetterPrivacy are also worth checking out.
 
Microsoft Security Essentials, for every day real time use:

And, these for serious cleanup:

Malwarebytes
SuperAntiSpyware

.
 
TheInfernal said:
According to AV-Comparatives, MSE has a detection rate of only 97.6%. There are other free applications that got much better results: Avira (99.8% detection) and Panda (99.2% detection).
http://www.av-comparatives.org/images/stories/test/ondret/avc_od_aug2010.pdf
Click to expand...

MSE has received a big update since that review with significant changes in behavior; I'll be interested to see how it performs in the next round av-comparitives. Avira Free is nagware which puts up a pop-up window after booting up sometimes.

TheInfernal said:
I use both Avira and Panda. I haven't seen any conflicts between them, and their RAM usage altogether barely exceeds 15MB.
Click to expand...

Bad advice to use two AV products at once.

Iowabucks: Combofix seems to be the nuclear weapon of AV scanners. You should look in the Networking & Security forum for the sticky post "How-to Guide for Virus/Trojan/Malware Removal".
 
evilsofa said:
Avira Free is nagware which puts up a pop-up window after booting up sometimes.
Click to expand...
You can fix this issue.
Bad advice to use two AV products at once.
Click to expand...
Immunet, which uses the same engine as Panda, advertises itself as a supplement to the "main antivirus".
I have been using both antiviruses for a while and haven't noticed any weird behavior.
 
MSE, MWB and SB-S&D. I also use Chrome to do my main surfing. Haven't been infected at all with this setup, including coming here with the recent attacks.
 
I do all my web-exploring from Linux, though when in windows I use MSE and it appears pretty effective.
 
I have been installing MSE on friends and family computers for the last year and my tech support calls have dropped to almost nothing. It has my vote.
 
I'm currently using MSE, but prior to that I was using Avast, which I still like. To go along with either Avast or MSE I also like Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware.
 
I think MB and SB S&D together are the best available.

As for real-time scanners, that's a whole other debate. I personally recommend Avast because it's free and has a port 80 web scanner. While MSE and others may have a high detection rate, so does Avast, but it has the benefit of blocking the infection before it even touches your drive. That makes me feel more comfortable.

So in the recent example on [H] Forum, that infection never reached my machine, where a lot of others it did and they had to clean with MB or others. Just a small example.
 
NOD32 + Firefox w/NoScript = win.

I've run a lot of different AV's over the years, both free and paid, and NOD impressed the hell out of me. I've been subscribing ever since :) I did use MSE for about a month last year when my subscription ran out, but I wasn't a huge fan of the interface and lack of realtime protection and re-upped.

NOD is worth the price they charge. It's lightweight, fast and dependable (hasn't let me down yet)... combine that with FF/NoScript, and you don't have a whole lot to worry about, at least via the web.
 
MSE+MBAM

Used to also have SB-S&D and SAS installed but I no longer feel the need to also have those installed since MBAM has always caught everything; the only things I've found SB-S&D or SAS pick up as scraps were tracking cookies.
 
evilsofa said:
MSE has received a big update since that review with significant changes in behavior; I'll be interested to see how it performs in the next round av-comparitives. Avira Free is nagware which puts up a pop-up window after booting up sometimes.



Bad advice to use two AV products at once.

Iowabucks: Combofix seems to be the nuclear weapon of AV scanners. You should look in the Networking & Security forum for the sticky post "How-to Guide for Virus/Trojan/Malware Removal".
Click to expand...

Agreed on Combofix. On my old Win XP machine I had something that AVG Free, Avast, Malwarebytes AntiMalware, Spybot S&D, and SuperAntiSpyware couldn't catch. Combofix nailed it. :) Though use it as a weapon of last resort.

Current machine is Win 7, and I use (and really like) MSE. Maybe once a week I'll do a scan with Malwarebytes AntiMalware just to be sure, but I've been going strong on MSE since summer.

On my wife's PC I've meant to replace AVG Free with MSE, but she doesn't do much on the net so I haven't bothered.
 
After reading all these posts, the only thing I didn't see in anyone's arsenal is VipreRescue from sunbelt software. Like with Combofix, always download the latest version, drop it in the root of the C drive and execute. I usually boot safemode with command prompt to use it, but it is very effective. One can never have too many tools in the warbox against the internet.

Fish :cool:
 
TheInfernal said:
You can fix this issue.Immunet, which uses the same engine as Panda, advertises itself as a supplement to the "main antivirus".
I have been using both antiviruses for a while and haven't noticed any weird behavior.
Click to expand...

If both products are true AV products they use filter drivers inserted into the disk driver kernel stack per MS AV design best practice, you may not be seeing anything because neither one is actually working, regardless of what they report...

If one is actually an add on that only looks at things in user space and isn't inserted into any kernel mode stacks, its really anti-spyware and not AV software.
 
In your case I'd suggest Microsoft Security Essentials, reliable security program.
 
Two Great Choices for real time protection:

1. Avast Free
2. Microsoft Security Essentials

On top of that a good scan to run about once a week or so is Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.
 
TheInfernal said:
You can fix this issue.Immunet, which uses the same engine as Panda, advertises itself as a supplement to the "main antivirus".
I have been using both antiviruses for a while and haven't noticed any weird behavior.
Click to expand...

immunet uses its own cloud-based sigs/heuristics in the free product (not panda's), and bitdefender's engine/sigs to supplement the cloud engine in the pro product. immunet free isn't a bad product to run alongside a traditional av, it's lightweight and has very little system impact. they'll be releasing 3.0 this month, which will include an offline engine and some other neat stuff.
 
i use avast free with malwarebytes pro with chrome and adblock plus which is awesome and peer block
 
I mainly use MSE and superantispyware to keep my PC clean...

When working on a clients computer, I find TDSSkiller, combofix and superantispyware to be pretty good at getting it clean
 
I am using on a pc now in the shop, and in this order
Trojan remover
MBAM
Karpraskey rescue bootable 2010
Hitman Pro 3.5 ForceBreech
SuperAntiSpyware
Asquared(HMP uses this engine also)
Rooter
Gmer
Malware Finder
DrWebcureit
Rootkit unhooker
TDSSKiller
Koobface remover--system had traces of koobface
W32 remover---traces of w32 also....
ComboFix
Norton Internet Security 2011--Will be removing all of these and leave MSE
MSE
Then Tune Up utilities 2011
 
It has been mentioned but I am going to throw out a strong recommendation for 'Malwarebytes'.<p>
 
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