Links
Information CoursesFighting Malware
Resources
To make informed choices, it is worthwhile to have a broad base of information
to review. Creating a reference for such a deep and diverse topic is
difficult because there are countless useful sources of information. The
intention of this list is to provide a starting point for people who do not have
previous knowledge of malware detection and prevention strategies. The
focus is on software and sites that provide freeware solutions that have been
generally accepted as valid for combating malware. Although there are
myriad other excellent utilities and sites, they quickly develop into a complex
list of more sophisticated, expensive, or specialized tools. Here is a list of
entry level resources for security information, software,
and reference material.
Virus Bulletin
http://www.virusbtn.com
This site offers information about antivirus vendors, products, and the
performance of antivirus and anti-malware software.
Virus Total
http://www.virustotal.com
The site maintains regularly updated installations of leading antivirus
applications and allows visitors to upload files that can be scanned by these
programs. The results are displayed on the web page after the scans
complete. This is an excellent tool if you want to investigate a small
number of files that may be malicious.
The SANS Institute
http://isc.sans.org
This site is intended for professionals and tends to be quite technical, but
also provides leading edge information about changes in Internet security.
Often times, the outbreak of viruses and malware are discussed here with
suggestions of how to combat the problems.
TrendMicro Housecall
http://housecall.trendmicro.com
This is the excellent online malware scanner application from Trend Micro.
Online scanners are an excellent "second opinion" source if you want to
thoroughly scan your system for malware. [Requires Internet Explorer]
Panda Software ActiveScan
http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/activescan.htm
The ActiveScan application is another online malware scanner that can provide
additional evaluation of a system. [Requires Internet Explorer]
Spybot Search & Destroy
http://www.safer-networking.org
Spybot S&D is a well known and respected application for the prevention,
detection, and removal of malware. It is not a substitute for antivirus
software but makes an excellent complimentary part of the protection strategy.
Ad-Aware
http://www.lavasoftusa.com
Ad-Aware is another well respected and popular anti-malware application.
Like Spybot S&D, it is not a substitute for antivirus, but compliments it well.
Microsoft Antispyware
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/ software/default.mspx
Microsoft has been actively investigating remedies for the malware epidemic and
one result has been their acquisition of anti-malware technology from Giant
Software. This application has become the foundation for Microsoft
Antispyware. Although this product is in beta (development) at the time of
writing, it will likely mature into a full fledged offering soon. It has
been well received for it's dynamic approach to recognizing new threats.
Avast! Antivirus
http://www.avast.com
This program is an antivirus product specifically, with spotty support for
malware prevention. A free version is available for home user licensing.
AVG Antivirus
http://www.grisoft.com
Grisoft provides a free version of their AVG antivirus software for home user
licensing. AVG is also specifically intended for antivirus rather than
anti-malware protection.
Antivir Antivirus
http://free-av.com
The Antivir antivirus software is another freeware option for home users.
As of this writing, the product is relatively unpolished compared to the design
and functionality of other products, but does have a lean, low resource design
in comparison.
ClamWin
http://www.clamwin.com
The open source software community has developed an antivirus product offering
with Clam Antivirus. Although the focus has been on Linux development, the
group has released ClamWin for Windows users. ClamWin has the virtue of
being open source and can be installed in business or home computers under the
same free license. One significant drawback is that ClamWin is not capable
of resident detection - a really important function for preventing malware
installations from occurring.
ZoneAlarm Firewall
http://www.zonelabs.com
The ZoneAlarm firewall product has a respectable track record as a form of
defense against intrusions It is available as freeware for home
licensing.
Sygate Personal Firewall
http://soho.sygate.com/products/spf_standard.htm
The Sygate Personal firewall is another choice for freeware products with home
or personal licensing terms. The interface can be complex for users who
are unfamiliar with the functionality of firewalls, but is worthwhile to learn
for those with the patience to work with it.
Windows Firewall
The Windows XP operating system has a built-in firewall that has a limited
interface for management, but does offer useful functionality. Users need
to upgrade to Service Pack 2 (SP2) or later to get the Windows Firewall
installation. Service Pack 1 (SP1) contained the first version of this
firewall as the Internet Connection Firewall or "ICF".
Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool
Microsoft has been including this small program as part of the regular monthly
patch and hotfix release cycles. It is a targeted utility that looks for
the signature behavior of specific but widespread forms of malware. It is
capable of providing some basic detection and removal for these malware
components.
Process Guard
http://www.diamondcs.com
This utility is very different in concept from other products listed because it
operates as an application sandbox. These types of programs control the
ability of other programs to start, access memory, end programs, and other
system activities. In this way, you can program Process Guard to only
allow trusted programs to run. Any programs that attempt to run without
previous authorization will either be blocked or require confirmation at a
prompt. This is a highly useful strategy for combating malware because the
construction of malware programs is constantly changing, making signature based
detection difficult. As an addition to conventional anti-malware
protection, it works very well.
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This page was last updated: 4/29/2006 3:56:19 PM