In our previous articles, we’ve reviewed what malware is and how to prevent it. Specifically, in the first installment we introduced you to Malware breaking it down into its various types such as spyware, adware, hijackers, and we introduced you to toolbars, and in the second installment we covered the basics of how to prevent malware. To conclude this series, this month we’re going to list some software that can assist you in the prevention, detection, and removal of malware.
Not everyone can afford the $50-$60 a year that companies charge for annual subscriptions to use their anti-virus software or malware removal applications (based on 1 year subscription for McAfee Total Protection and 1 year subscription for Norton 360 Version 3.0). Fortunately, there are some great alternatives available for free. We’re providing a list of some good free anti-virus and malware software and where you can go to download them.
Arguably, one of the most important applications all computers should have is anti-virus software. I’ve seen lots of people that appear to have anti-virus software on their computer, but for one reason or another it never gets updated. Most new computers come with a 30-90 day subscription of an anti-virus application, but some people forget to either pay to extend the service or remove it and never find an alternative.
Here are a some anti-virus options:
- AVG - Free anti-virus and anti-spyware. Fee for additional protection such as anti-spam and firewall.
- Avast - Free for home users.
- Avira AntiVir Personal - Free anti-virus and anti-spyware. Fee for addtional protection such anti-spam, bot prevention, and malicious website protection.
If you do end up with malware, these are some great free tools to aid in detecting and removing those unwanted annoyances from your computer.
Coming Up…
Next month we’re going to begin a new feature where we will highlight and discuss one application per month used to combat the ongoing battle with malware. To get the goods as soon as they come out, please be sure to subscribe to our syndication feed.