====== Malware or Virus ======

Good and useful information about [[https://www.sctexas.org/club/scripts/memfac/memfac.asp?MFCODE=SIG_MAL#sidebar|Malware]] is on the [[https://www.sctexas.org/club/scripts/memfac/memfac.asp?MFCODE=CCLUB_COMPUTER#sidebar|Computer Club web site]]. The [[https://www.sctexas.org/club/scripts/memfac/memfac.asp?MFCODE=CCLUB_SEC|Cybersecuity]] SIG has additional information about computer security concerns. A bit of searching on the internet for Malware is likely to provide days of reading.

===== Malware attitude, today =====

Today is April 16, 2023.   When I asked Bard about Windows anti-virus it referenced [[https://www.av-comparatives.org/|av-comparatives.org]].   Hmmmm...   [[https://www.av-comparatives.org/|av-comparatives]] appears to be good "stuff".    [[https://www.av-test.org/en/|av-test.org]] is another organization that does anti-virus test.   I think I like both of them.    Both sites imply that free antivirus tools are often "good enough".    If you read the sites and come to a different conclusion, please add a comment to this page.

The past couple of years, Windows Defender has been adequate as an anti-virus tool in the home environment. In the Help Center we do see client computers with other flavors of Anti-Virus and firewalls. Most of the time we encourage the removal not-free anti-virus or firewall tools. Why? We prefer free. Windows Defender is free and it works.

The Help Center does use free versions of Malwarebytes, CCleaner and Superantispyware to "disinfect" a computer. These tools can be helpful on an infrequent basis. If they are enabled to run at system boot time, it is likely they will impact system boot performance.


===== Opinion? =====

Opinions change and reality can change. After watching a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHtZ9-9ch2w|Chris Titus youtube video]] , you may want to try [[https://bmrf.org/repos/tron/|Tron Script.]] If you find the Chris Titus video interesting, here is a link to his [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg6gPGh8HU2U01vaFCAsvmQ|YouTube Channel]].

If you watch this: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nkVzJ1V0rM&t=424s|Things that "might" clean an infected computer.]] You would discover [[https://support.norton.com/sp/en/us/home/current/solutions/kb20100824120155EN|NPE(Norton Power Eraser)]] and HitmanPro. I am not a fan of Norton but NPE as a standalone tool looks "interesting". [[https://www.hitmanpro.com/en-us/downloads|HitmanPro looks like yet another AntiVirus,]] but if you "read the installation options" it will scan and not do a full installation.