Malwarebytes

Anti-virus protection is a must for any computer. The unfortunate reality is that most anti-virus programs don't do a complete job when it comes to removing malware. Malwarebytes is designed to target the harmful applications and files that anti-virus programs miss. The latest version of malwarebytes makes some bold claims. The developers describe it as the "next-generation antivirus replacement." This claim should be taken with a grain of salt. Malwarebytes has never been a substitute for an anti-virus program. It works best when coupled with anti-virus protection to add layers of security. An area where this program is useful is in the way it targets the most recent threats to emerge on the Internet. The database of harmful apps included in the software is updated on a daily basis. This program often discovers harmful malware, spyware, and adware before anti-virus programs have the chance to add the nasties to their databases. In this regard, running Malwarebytes as an anti-virus companion is a good idea. The program is easy to install from the official website, but users should be aware that some annoying upsells will follow when the download link is clicked. Once the package is downloaded, it installs in just a few seconds. The paid version is installed, but if it isn't purchased in 14 days the free version will replace it. The interface of the program is very simple. At the top there is a bar with four tabs. Users can select Dashboard, Scan, Settings, and History. Something very useful is also a bar at the top that is color coded. This bar will appear green if the system has been scanned recently and is good to go. Yellow indicates a reminder to scan soon, and red means that harmful programs have been detected. Filtering is offered by the program to prevent access to websites which are known to deliver malware. This feature works very well, and it doesn't often block safe websites by mistake. There is also an anti-exploit module which has some sophisticated tools for rooting out harmful programs. The only thing about this tool is that getting the most out of it requires knowing a little about ASLR, DEP, and other technical issues that most computer users won't understand. As a complement to an anti-virus program, Malwarebytes does the job it was designed to do. It should be added to your arsenal of security tools and used on a regular basis.