Anti Malware Reviews & Comparisons 2014

Malware also known as malicious software are created for malicious activities by illegally entering into computers. They may steal, erase or damage personal data stored in computers hard disk and make them vulnerable. Below are some of the top malware protection software compared along with their features.

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Product Name Winzip Malware Protector MalwareBytes Emsisoft Anti Malware Malware Fighter 2 Pro SUPER AntiSpyware SpyHunter
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Pricing US$ 29.95 US$ 0.00 US$ 39.95 US$ 19.95 US$ 19.95 US$ 39.99
Review

As the years are passing, the internet is steadily turning into a playground for several fraudulent activities. This is particularly accelerated by the influx of malware products of various types that are flourishing despite the introduction of various protocols in the application layer of networking. Malware, or "malicious software", is a small piece of software that aims at retrieving personal or sensitive information by gaining entry into the users hard disk through the browser and residing indefinitely unless removed through an anti-malware product.

How Malware Works?

Most of the malware exist in the form of a trojan horse, computer viruses, adware or spyware. Malware can also exist in a relatively simple manner as lines of code or programming scripts and comes when you download files from unauthorized sources. Malware makes extensive use of the pay per click advertising model to gather large sums of money, thus crippling the economy of a particular site. In many cases a malware may pose as a simple ad, which when clicked, generates a simple tool that steals information from the system it resides in.

Need for an Anti-Malware

Malware activities are generally directed at bank accounts, online payments or other sources involving monetary transactions. Often, popular companies may imbue a malware in their legitimate software product to track demographics for marketing strategies. Other malware products may imitate the user to take advantage of the online advertising system or gain entry into other networks. A malware, along with a virus or worm, may generate a denial of service attack to limit the resources of the users computer while carrying out other activities in the background.

Performance

The presence of a proper anti-malware in the user's system reduces the chances of a malware ever entering or residing in the users system. Many websites and browsers offer built in protection against malware. However, this does not provide complete security. Security suites, firewalls or standalone anti-malware software identify malware attacks and quarantine them, thus safeguarding the system from being infected.

Features of a Good Anti Malware

Organizations and individuals have different choices they can avail for protection against malware attacks. Hardware based solutions for Local Area Networks or Personal Area Networks are reliable firewalls, while individuals can use software protection. In case of most large organizations, a hardware security device like a firewall works in tandem with the security software. However, no solution can provide 100% guarantee of protection, as malware products are spreaded on a daily basis that have different signatures or may the ability to bypass latest security protocols.

Regular Updates

Hence, it is vital that the security suite or anti-malware software is updated on a daily basis and comes from a reliable firm that has a strong reputation. Trackers used by software security company gather information about new and existing digital signatures of malware from all over the web and index them in databases. This information allows the companies to update their products regularly, thus enabling real-time protection to detect and quarantine threats immediately.

Real Time Protection

The real-time protection allows the software to scan all incoming data from any network, by dividing them into blocks of bits or bytes. In case the malware arrives as separate unrelated blocks, the anti-malware component detects any changes the malware may attempt on the browser or the system. Since the malware operates from within the memory of the computer, the anti-malware products reside within the memory too in order to identify any attempt a malware makes at launching.

Often pop-up ads and surveys on low quality sites contain malware scripts. These are blocked by most anti-malware products. They also issue a warning in case the user tries to access a website that may potentially distribute a malware.

Choosing the Solution

As with all other software products, there are a lot of alternatives that people can choose from. The most important decision however boils down to choosing between a full fledged security suite or a standalone anti-malware product. While a complete suite may provide better worth, a standalone anti-malware product may allow better protection due to its singular focus.

These products generally utilize a lot of system resources, which should be taken into consideration. Many security suites and anti-malware products are available at free of cost for personal use and small organizations. Larger organizations need to purchase licensed products from the vendors in order to access regular support and dedicated service.

Run in Safe Mode

Bob Schauer, January 4, 2015

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