We’ve tested over 100 anti-malware apps to help you find the the best malware protection and removal software for all your devices.
The computer, smartphone, or table you use every day is an example of hardware. The apps and programs that run on your hardware, they’re called software. Some go so far as to use “wetware” to name the brain that uses the software. But there’s a shadier ‘ware lurking, one we call malware. Malicious software can take many forms. Trojan horse programs masquerade as useful tools, hiding activities such as tapping your online bank transactions. Ransomware encrypts your essential documents and demands a no-trace payout to restore them. Keyloggers capture your login passwords along with everything else you do at your computer. But never fear; there are plenty of ways to fight back against the scourge of malware.
At a minimum, installing a simple antivirus utility should keep most threats at bay. You’ll also find security suites that shore up protection in various ways, and programs specific to a task such as ransomware protection.
We’ve reviewed over 100 products designed to combat malware and are including the best ones here. Read on for our top picks, followed by everything you need to know about how to keep your devices free of malware.What Happened to Kaspersky?
Kaspersky Anti-Virus is an Editors’ Choice in the antivirus realm, as is Kaspersky Internet Security in the security suite arena. Kaspersky’s malware-fighting technology routinely earns perfect or near-perfect scores from independent antivirus testing labs around the world. This roundup used to include both products. What happened?
For years, Kaspersky has faced accusations and censure based on its Russian origins, though none of the accusations have come backed by hard evidence of malicious behavior. We at PCMag focused on the capabilities of the products, not on the brouhaha around the company. However, the current war in Ukraine has raised the stakes. Governments and third parties are cutting ties with Kaspersky. The FCC labeled Kaspersky a national security risk.
After consideration, we can no longer recommend you purchase Kaspersky security products. We’ve left the reviews in place, with a warning, since they provide useful information. But at least for now, we’re removing Kaspersky products from our «best for» lists.What Is Malware?
Malware protection solutions come in all sizes. Despite the word «virus» in the name, an antivirus utility actually aims to protect against all types of malware. Full-scale security suites expand protection to include such things as spam filtering, parental control, and VPN protection. Some antimalware tools work alongside your main protection to provide added security against specific threats, such as ransomware. Before we explore the different types of protection available, let’s look at just what they’re up against.
The term malware is short for malicious software, and it refers to absolutely any program or process whose purpose is harmful, even criminal. The earliest widely known form of malware was the computer virus, the name for a program that infects other programs with its code, and replicates when the infected program runs. Many early viruses had no malicious payload; they just served to show off the coder’s skills, or even to give a shout-out to a loved one. Because viruses were first, we still use the name antivirus for software that protects against all kinds of malware.
A virus spreads when someone launches the infected program. A worm spreads without any help. Worms have been around longer than the internet, with the first one, Creeper, hitting Arpanet in 1971. The infamous Morris Worm, released in 1988, was nominally intended to measure the extent of the nascent internet. However, due to a coding error it crashed thousands of servers and earned its creator a felony conviction.
Modern malware coders are way beyond the «look at me!» attitude of those early virus writers. They’re in it for the money—period—and there’s not a lot of money in viruses and worms. Trojan horse programs can be more lucrative. This sort of malware appears as, and may even be, a useful program of some kind, but once you let it inside the walls of your computer, it turns loose a crew of nasties. They may send your personal and financial data to malware HQ, install additional programs to earn per-installation cash, or anything the coders can think of to monetize their control of your computer.
Trojans that transmit your private information are one kind of spyware. Other types of spyware focus on tracking your web-browsing habits, or the way you use your computer. Keylogger spyware tools record the keystrokes you type, hoping to hit pay dirt by capturing your passwords. Some anti-malware tools include components specifically devoted to spyware protection.
Another common threat is what’s called a bot. Typically, the bot owner uses spam or drive-by downloads to infect many computers, and then sells the services of this herd of bots. Customers can contract with the bot-herder for tasks including bitcoin mining, distributing spam, or participating in a distributed denial of service attack.
The current alpha predator of money-making malware, though, is ransomware—specifically, encrypting ransomware.
