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Loading...These days there is a wide range of malware and virus removers on the market, at varying price points, and the truth is that they are also of varying degrees of quality. With that in mind, here is some guidance about how to pick the right malware and virus remover for you.
Respect the Limitations of the Inbuilt Solutions
At this point in time all of the main platforms offer a native security solution. Windows has Windows Defender, MacOS and iOS have XProtect and Android has Play Protect. All of these solutions offer moderate to decent protection against classic viruses, but even here they are far from the best protection available and they offer very little in the way of protection against other forms of malware. Basically, these solutions are generally best regarded as “starter packs”. In other words, they will keep you safe in the period between you first getting your new computer or mobile device and you installing your main antimalware solution (which should usually be the first thing you do).
Respect the Limitations of the Free Solutions
The first point which has to be made about the free solutions is that a lot of them are actually malware in disguise. In other words, if you download the wrong free malware and virus remover, you could wind up infecting your computer or mobile device.
The second point which needs to be understood is that free malware and virus removers offer, at best, very limited protection. This may seem like stating the obvious since it is clear that no sane company is likely to give away its very best products for free, but it is important to understand the implications for your personal security. In simple terms, you will be exposed to the same level of online threat as everyone else, but you will have a lower level of defense against it, or, in other words, you will make yourself a soft target.
The third key point you need to know about free solutions is that you are highly unlikely to receive any support from the developer, except possibly in the form of general FAQs on their website. The onus will be on you to choose the right product for your computer or mobile device and to set it up correctly. If you have any issues with its impact on your computer or mobile device, then bluntly that will be your problem to resolve.
In this context, it’s also worth noting that even legitimate free malware and virus removers do tend to come with revenue-generating add-ons, in particular adverts, but also browser extensions and other forms of bloatware, which can really guzzle your system resources especially on lower-specced computers and mobile devices.
What You Need to Look for In a Malware and Virus Remover
The first point to check is that a malware and virus remover not only offers protection against all known threats but also offers a quick means to implement any updates required to counter new threats.
Malware and virus removers which are based wholly or partly in the cloud have a distinct advantage here. Basically they can update their virus definitions without the host PC needing to copy anything locally, which not only means that they can adapt quickly to new versions of “established” virus types (such as worms, trojans and ransomware) but that they are also well-positioned to adapt to any new types of threat which emerge in the future.
Another bonus of using malware and virus removers which are wholly or partly cloud based, is that they vastly reduce the burden on the computer or mobile device being protected. This can be a fairly meaningful benefit on even higher-specced computers, since they are usually bought by people who need them for fairly intensive tasks (e.g. video editing), it can be an absolutely massive benefit on budget-friendly mobile devices, which, by definition, are going to be relatively tight on memory, storage and processing power.
On that note, if you are buying a malware and virus remover specifically for an Android or iOS phone (or a tablet which uses a SIM card), it’s strongly recommended to ensure that it offers protection against cellphone-specific threats such as USSD attacks.
Ideally you want your malware and virus remover to have a sandbox or quarantine area to contain any malicious software while it is being cleaned – just in case it springs any nasty surprises before it is banished.
Be Prepared to Pay for Protection but Always Look for Value
Malware and virus removers are like most other products in the sense that some are based essentially on performance while others are priced to reflect their hefty marketing budgets. Comodo is one of the former, in fact it’s very competitively priced given the outstanding protection their range of products offers. Head to the Comodo website now to give your computer and/or mobile device premium protection for the price of a cup of coffee.
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