- I have used and/or recommend these tools.
- If you are unsure of what tools are safe to download, use this list.
- Some of the tools can damage a perfectly good OS if not used with care.
- Use caution and only download from known safe sites.
- Always download from the software makers Website if possible.
- The software listed here is malware free, that does not mean that the site you download from is.
- Unless otherwise noted the tools below are FREE.
- Some are available as trial/shareware versions and have full functions during the trial period.
Safe download sites
(Any site with a bunch of free ScreenSavers is not safe!)
If your going to download anything regarding a security product, ALWAYS get it from the vendors website.
- AndyManchesta.com
- App-Stick Portable Freeware Directory
- Association of Shareware Professionals
- BearWare.info
- BetaNews File Forum
- FileHippo.com
- Favorite Freeware
- Majorgeeks.com
- Malwarebytes.org
- Mozilla.org
- PortableApps.com
- SourceForge.net
Backup & imaging
- Acronis True Image – Paid
- Cobian Backup
- DriveImage XML
- Karens Replicator
- Macrium Reflect
- Nero BackItUp & Burn – Paid
- O&O DiskImage 4 Express
- O&O DiskImage 4 Pro – Paid
- SyncBack
Temp. file & history cleaners
- ATF-Cleaner
- CCleaner – Suggested download – CCleaner – Slim – No Toolbar
- Temp File Cleaner by OldTimer
- Wise Disk Cleaner – Free & Paid
Registry cleaners
Warning: Using registry cleaning tools unnecessarily or incorrectly could lead to disastrous effects on your operating system such as preventing it from starting. If your not 100% positive then leave it alone! Always make a back up of the registry first.
How to back up and restore the registry in Windows
- CCleaner
- Eusing Free Registry Cleaner
- Registry Mechanic – Paid
- RegSeeker
- Wise Registry Cleaner – Free & Paid
All-in-one
- Advanced SystemCare Free
- Comodo System Cleaner
- Dr.Freeware System Utilities
- Glary Utilities
- System Mechanic Paid
- Totalidea Twaek Software
- X-Setup
File shredders
- BCWipe – Paid
- Eraser
- File Shredder
- nCleaner
- Jack the Shredder – Paid
- Lavasoft File Shredder – Paid
Securely wipe hard disks
Caution: DBAN will automatically and completely delete the contents of any hard disk that it detects.
- Active@ KillDisk
- DBAN (Darik’s Boot & Nuke)
- DBAN for floppy disks and USB flash drives
Tutorial: How to completely wipe all the data from your hard drive
Firewalls (use only one)
- Agnitum Outpost
- Comodo Firewall (Uncheck during installation “Install Comodo SafeSurf..”, Make Comodo my default search provider” and “Make Comodo Search my homepage” if you install Comodo)
- Jetico – Free & paid
- Kerio – Sunbelt
- Online Armor
- PC Tools Firewall Plus
- PeerGuardian – IP Blocker
- ZoneAlarm Free
- ZoneAlarm Pro – Paid
Antivirus (use only one)
- a-squared Anti-Malware – Subscription only
- avast! 4 Home Edition
- AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition
- AntiVir Personal Edition
- ArcaVir – Subscription only – English & Polish
- BitDefender 10 Free Edition – Scan and remove only, no protection
- BitDefender – Subscription only
- BullGuard Antivirus – Subscription only – Multiple Language
- CA Anti-Virus – Subscription only
- ClamWin Free – Portable
- Comodo AntiVirus
- Dr.Web – Subscription only
- ESET Nod32 Antivirus System – Subscription only
- F-PROT Antivirus – Subscription only
- F-Secure Anti-Virus – Subscription only
- G DATA – Subscription only
- HAURI – Subscription only – English & Korean
- IKARUS – Subscription only – English & German
- Jiangmin Antivirus – Subscription only – English & Chinese
- Kaspersky Anti-Virus – Subscription only
- McAfee VirusScan Plus – Subscription only
- MicroWorld Escan – Subscription only
- Norman Antivirus – Subscription only
- Norton AntiVirus – Subscription only
- Panda Antivirus – Subscription only
- PC Tools AntiVirus
- Quick Heal Anti-Virus – English & Hindi
- RISING Antivirus
- Solo Antivirus – Subscription only
- Safe’n'Sec – 30 days full feature trial
- The Hacker – Subscription only – Spanish Language
- Trend Micro AntiVirus – Subscription only
- TrustPort Antivirus – Subscription only
- VBA 32 – Subscription only – Multiple Language
- VIPRE Antivirus + Antispyware – 15 days full feature trial
- Virusbuster – Subscription only – English & Hungarian
- Webroot AntiVirus – Subscription only
Virtualization/Sandboxing
Sandbox
- AppGuard (Paid)
- Defencewall (Paid)
- GeSWall
- Safespace
- Sandboxie
Virtualization:
- Returnil
- Shadow Defender (Paid)
- VirtualBox
Gaming antivirus
- BitDefender Game Safe – Subscription only
- BullGuard Gamer’s Edition – Subscription only
- nProtect GameGuard – Subscription only
- Norton AntiVirus Gaming Edition – Subscription only
Portable security
- a-squared HiJackFree
- Ad-Aware SE (only the SE Personal edition, Ad Aware 2007 is not portable)
- avast! Virus Cleaner
- AVG Rescue CD 7.5 (paid version)
- AVIRA Removal Tool
- CCleaner
- Clam Win
- CWShredder
- Dr. Web CureIt!
- Eraser Portable
- Malwarebytes FileASSASSIN
- HijackThis
- McAfee Avert Stinger
- McAfee VirusScan USB (paid version)
- Multi Virus Cleaner
- Portable Antivirus
- Process Explorer
- RogueRemover FREE
- RootkitRevealer
- Sophos Anti-Rootkit
- Spybot Search & Destroy
- WinPatrol USB Flash Edition
Spyware/Malware scan & removal
Some offer real time protection with the paid version
- Ad-Aware 2007 Free
- CounterSpy – 15 day trial
- Dr.Web CureIt
- Malwarebytes Anti-Malware – Free & Paid
- Pest Patrol – Subscription only
- RogueRemover FREE
- Spybot Search & Destroy
- Spyware Doctor
- Spyware Terminator – Without Web Security Guard
- SuperAntiSpyware – SUPERAntiSpyware Free and Professional comparison
- The Cleaner v5 Free
- WebRoot’s Spysweeper – Subscription only
Online virus & spyware scans
Most of these require working ActiveX – Internet Explorer
- a-squared Web Malware Scanner
- BitDefender Online Scanner
- CA eTrust Antivirus Scanner
- ESET Nod32 Online Scanner
- F-Secure Online Scanner
- Kaspersky Webscan – Scan only – Does not remove what is found
- McAfee Free Scan – Scan only – Does not remove what is found
- Panda ActiveScan
- Panda’s NanoScan – Scan only – IE or Firefix
- Symantec Security Check – Scan only – Does not remove what is found
- Trend Micro HouseCall – Works with Firefox or IE
- Zone Alarm Online Scanner – Scan only – Does not remove what is found
Online trojan scans
Require Internet Explorer
- ewido online scan
- Windows Security Trojan Scan – Uses the a² scanning engine
Virus & spyware blockers
Blocking Unwanted Parasites with a Hosts File
IE-Spyad
Tutorial: Using IE-Spyad
Anti-Trojan scanners
- a-squared Free
- TrojanHunter – free trial
- Trojan Remover – free trial
Keylogger detection
- Advanced Anti Keylogger – Paid
- Anti-keylogger – Paid
- BillP Studios – WinPatrol – Free & Paid
- Elite Anti Keylogger – Paid
- KL-Detector – Free
- Process Monitor – Free
Rootkit detection
Rootkit scans can be easily misunderstood
It is advised to ask for help if you are not sure of the findings
- F-Secure Blacklight – Blacklight Tutorial
- Panda Anti-Rootkit
- Rootkit Revealer
- Sophos Anti-Rootkit
- Trend Micro Rootkit Buster
Online website URL analysis & advisors
- Dr.Web online check
- LinkScanner
- McAfee SiteAdvisor
- Sitehound – Free to try
- Unmask Parasites
- vURL Online
- WOT Web of Trust
SafeSurf ® – The original Internet content rating system! – ICCS® Certified
For added security always keep your browser,
firewall and antivirus up to date!
Software Vulnerability Scanning – Secunia.com
Password managers
File/Drive encryption
- AxCrypt
- BestCrypt - Paid
- Dekart Light
- Lavasoft Digital Lock – Paid
- PGP Encryption
- PowerCrypt
- TrueCrypt
Analysis
HijackThis log tutorials
Please ask for help when using HijackThis if you are not 100% positive
Specialized free removal tools
You may need to know the virus or spyware
name to use some of these
- avast! Virus Cleaner Free Download
- AVG Specialized Removal Tools
- BitDefender Specialized Removal Tools
- F-Secure Virus Removal Tools
- Griftsoft/AVG Vcleaner
- Kaspersky Virus Removal Tools
- McAfee Avert Stinger
- Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool
- Trend Micro Damage Cleanup Engine
- Sophos Virus Disinfection
- Symantec Specialized Removal Tools
- Panda QuickRemover
Program & file identification
- Answers that Work
- BleepingComputer File database
- BleepingComputer Startup List Database
- Computer Task Database and Spyware Directory
- PC Pitstop Known-Programs Database
- Spyware Data File List
- Spyware Encyclopedia #1
- Tony Klein and CastleCops list of BHOs
- WhatIsThatFile.com
- Windows Startup Online
Suspicious file scanners
These will not remove malware but will help
identify if a file is infected
- Anubis – Must be a Windows executable not more than 2 MB
- avast! Online Scanner – 512 KB File size limit
- Avert® Labs WebImmune – Free Registration required
- ClamAV COSS File Scanner – 500 KB File size limit
- Comodo Instant Malware Analysis
- Dr.Web File Check
- Eset On-line Scanner – In Slovak
- FortiGuard Virus Scanner & Submission – 1 MB File size limit
- JoeBox
- Jotti’s Malware Scan – multiple engine scan
- Kaspersky File Scanner
- Microsoft Malware Protection Center – Results via email
- Novirusthanks.org – multiple engine scan
- Norman Sandbox Information Center – Results via email
- Sunbelt Sandbox – Results via email
- Surf Right Malware Analysis – Results via email
- PC Tools Threat Expert File Scanner – Results via email
- VBA32
- VirusChief – multiple engine scan
- Virus.Org File Scanning Service – multiple engine scan
- Virustotal – multiple engine scan
- VirSCAN.org multiple engine scan
Remove stubborn files/programs
- Pocket Killbox
- Revo Uninstaller – Guide – Using Revo Uninstaller
- Unlocker – Guide – Using Unlocker
- Your Uninstaller 2008! – 21 day trial
General purpose/all in one fixes
These tools can fix some Browser and Internet problems
caused by malware.
- Dial-a-fix
- IEFix
- FixPolicies.exe by Bill Castner Tutorial
- LSP-Fix
Web browsers
Vulnerability testing
- Drivers Update Software by RadarSync
- eicar THE ANTI-VIRUS OR ANTI-MALWARE TEST FILE
- F-Secure Health Check
- Leak Test
- Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer
- PC Pitstop
- Secunia Software Inspector
- Security Test Sites
- Shields UP!
Software updates & definitions
- Calendar Of Updates
- FileHippo.com Update Checker
- Microsoft Windows Update
- Secunia Online Software Inspector (OSI)
- VersionTracker
- WinUpdatesList (Service Packs and Hotfixes)
- Windows Server Update Services (WSUS)
Malware databases
- AVG Virus Encyclopedia
- Avira Virus Info
- BitDefender Virus Encyclopedia
- Computer Associates Spyware Information Center
- Computer Associates Virus Information Center
- ESET Threat Encyclopedia
- F-Secure Spyware Description Database
- F-Secure Virus Description Database
- Fortinet Virus Encyclopedia
- Kasperksy’s VirusList.Com
- McAfee Avert Labs Threat Library
- Microsoft’s MMPC Encyclopedia
- Norman Virus Descriptions
- Panda Encyclopedia
- Panda Security – What is spyware?
- Secuna Virus Information
- Sophos Threat analyses
- SpywareGuide greynet applications
- Symantec Security Response
- Symantec Threat Explorer
- Trend Micro Virus Encyclopedia
- VirusBuster Encyclopedia
Virus hoax warnings - Wikipedia Virus hoax
- F-Secure Hoax Description Database
- Hoax-Slayer
- McAfee Hoax Warnings
- Panda Hoax Warnings
- snopes Virus Hoaxes & Realities
- Sophos Hoax Warnings
- Symantec Hoax Warnings
- Trend Micro Scams and Hoaxes
