By Niranjan Jena 10/11/2022

This review covers the Features, Prices, Pros, and Cons of the Top Malware Removal Solutions along with their Comparison.

Today, businesses across the globe are struggling to cope with cybersecurity issues. The threat of cyberattacks is very real for businesses as statistics show an increase in data breaches over the past few years.

Malware Attacks: Impact And Overview

A 2017 study by Accenture shows that there are more than 130 cases of large-scale, targeted data breaches in the United States every year and this number is growing by 27% each year.

The study by Accenture also found that the costliest cyberattack types were malware and web-based attacks. The average amount that companies spent on malware and web-based attacks were $2.4 million and $2 million respectively.

From the above figure, we find that malware is the costliest type of cyber-attacks for businesses today. In addition to costing millions to your business, malware can also take up a lot of your valuable time. We say this because the Accenture study reports that the average time taken to resolve a malicious insiders attack is 50 days.

Considering the impact on the costs and time of malware attacks, you’d do well to think about your vulnerability to malware and how you can thwart or minimize this risk. The very first step in this regard would be getting an understanding of malware, its types, and how to get protected against it.

We have explained all this and much more in the following section which provides the answers to the frequently asked questions about malware and malware removal.

FAQs About Malware And Malware Removal

Enlisted below are the most commonly asked questions on Malware and Malware Removal.

Q #1) What is Malware?

Answer: An acronym for malicious Software, malware is an umbrella term for all kinds of harmful computer programs that are used by hackers and other miscreants to wreak havoc and gain access to sensitive information.

Using malware, cybercriminals can expose your private identity and cause damage to individual computers, servers, or an entire network of computers. In most cases, the malware gains access to a computer, or another device through email or the internet.

However, there are occasions when it may access a device through software, toolbars, music files, game demos, free subscriptions, websites or anything else downloaded onto the device from the web which is not protected by anti-malware.

Q #2) What are the Different Types of Malware?

Answer: The types of malware refer to the different ways in which malware can infect a device or computer system.

With this in mind, the most common types of Malware include the following:

1. A worm
2. A Virus
3. A Trojan

A standalone malware, a Worm reproduces itself and makes its way from one computer onto another.

A piece of computer code, a Virus can spread uncontrollably to damage the core functionality of a system and delete or corrupt files.

A malicious program, a Trojan tricks people into activating it so that it can quickly spread and cause damage to a system.

Q #3) What are the Different Attack Techniques that are used by Malware to Infect and Spread?

Answer: The Attack Techniques that are used by Malware to Infect and Spread include:

1. Spyware
2. Rootkit
3. Adware
4. Ransomware
5. Botnets
6. Malvertising

As the name suggests, Spyware is a malware intended to spy on you. The malware secretly gathers information on an unsuspecting user by hiding in the background and taking notes of the user’s online activity.  Often a collection of software tools, Rootkit gives someone with ill-intentions remote access and control over a system such as a computer.

While it isn’t always malicious, Adware can undermine your system’s security in a bid to serve your ads and in doing so, it can allow a lot of the other malware to make their way into your system. Malicious software that encrypts the files on your hard drive and then demands a ransom for them is referred to as Ransomware.

Botnets are a network of infected computers that work together under the control of an attacker to compromise the security of a system and cause damage to it. Used to secretly deliver malware to the computer of unsuspecting users, Malvertising involves the use of legitimate ads or ad networks to spread malware.

Q #4) How to Prevent and Protect against Malware?

Answer: The best way to prevent malware and ensure protection against it is by using powerful antivirus and anti-malware software.

Another way to prevent malware is by not opening any links or email attachments from unexpected or unknown sources. There are also some technical preventative measures that you can take to keep malware from infecting your system and/or network.

These Technical Measures Include:

• Patching and updating your systems.
• Keeping an inventory of hardware to know what to protect exactly.
• Continuously assessing of your infrastructure for vulnerability.

These are some of the technical measures that you can take to prevent malware. However, the use of the best anti-virus and anti-malware software is still the most prudent way of recognizing, removing, and preventing malware.

Q #5) What is the Difference between Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware?

Answer: The purpose of anti-virus software is to provide protection. This software program is used to prevent virus-laden files from being download onto your system. Additionally, it works to prevent the virus from activating in case if somehow it makes its way to your system.

On the other hand, anti-malware software, which is also known as a malware removal tool, is slightly different in how it works. While anti-virus software is all about prevention, anti-malware software looks to root out and destroy the malware that is already downloaded and activated on a system.

While there are a lot of similarities between the two types of software, it is recommended that you use both to maximize protection.

Q #6) What is the importance of Malware Removal Software?

Answer: While you can remove some active viruses with anti-virus software, they are likely to recur on the system sometime in the future. This is because they are not eliminated but just simply hidden on the infected computer and thus can be re-activated at a later time.

Malware removal tools, on the other hand, completely remove the malware from an infected computer and the virus is unlikely to recur on the system. This is because it’s incredibly important to use an anti-malware program alongside an anti-virus program to protect your system from harmful malware.

Q #7) Should I go for a Free or Paid Malware Software?

Answer: This is one of the most important decisions that you need to make while choosing a malware removal tool. First of all, you must know that a free malware software is not the same as the malware software with a free trial period.

Today, you will come across several anti-malware software that is free to use for 30 days. When the free trial ends, you are asked to buy a full subscription. On the other hand, free malware software does not have any trial period and is free to use as long as you use the software.

In exchange for the free software, the providers of the malware software might ask you for some non-personal information for advertising purposes. While this does not intrude on your privacy, it can be annoying and this is a major con associated with the free malware software.

In terms of functionality, a free malware software does most of the basic things that can be accomplished with its paid counterpart such as scanning a device for malware and then activating appropriate protection.

However, once you go past the basics, it isn’t much worth comparing between the two. Perhaps the biggest advantage of choosing a paid malware software over the free version is ensuring protection from Malware in real-time.

Other advantages of choosing a paid malware software are ensuring customer support and access to a whole host of features such as notifications about dangerous websites, protection against ransomware, anti-phishing features, parental control, firewall, and much more.

Currently, the biggest share of the anti-malware software market is held by Avast Software and it is closely followed by Malwarebytes and Bitdefender.

Following is an infographic that shows the different Anti-Malware Software by market size.

[image source] 

While the above infographic shows the most popular Anti-Malware Software based on numbers, it is not a full and final representation of the best Malware Removal tools out there.

While the different anti-malware software programs represented in the infographic have a massive number of people searching for them, and it does not mean that they all are the best malware removal software available today.

While some of the anti-malware software in the infographic may make the list of the best anti-malware solutions, and the others may not.

This is because they fail to meet the criteria for the best Malware Removal Tool that includes:

• All-inclusive protection i.e. protection against all types and kinds of malware.
• Little impact on the system’s performance.
• Usability
• Customer support
• Range of features/bundled tools.
• Excellent reputation
• Affordable/Cost-effective.

The above list is not exhaustive and there are several other factors to consider while choosing a malware removal tool.

List Of Best Malware Removal Tools

Listed below are the top Malware Removal Software.

• System Mechanic Ultimate Defense
• Restoro
• Advanced SystemCare
• TotalAV Antivirus
• Vipre
• Norton 360

Let’s Explore!!

#1) System Mechanic Ultimate Defense

System Mechanic Ultimate Defense is a platform for total performance, protection, and privacy. It has System Shield to block malware and a Malware Killer to find & destroy existing malware. Malware Killer can find and remove malware from infected computers. It makes use of Scan Cloud-based scanning and analysis.

To block Malware it deploys reactive and proactive malware detection strategies. Reactive strategy detects viruses by making use of published malware signature detection. A sophisticated behavior-monitoring technique is used by the proactive strategy. It will help with building a general sense of the file.

Features: Optimize PC performance, Protect Online privacy, securely manage passwords, Remove malware, Block malware, Erase whole drives, & Recover deleted files.

Price:

• Coupon Deal: Get a massive 60% off on System Mechanic Ultimate Defense, just $31.98!
• Coupon Code: workfromhome (New Customers Only)
• Valid From: Now
• Valid To: October 5, 2020

#2) Restoro

Restoro is the complete PC repair system. It makes use of powerful technology for safely and securely repairing the PC to an optimized state. It can remove malware threats from your PC. It will restore the max performance of your PC.

Restoro has functionalities for virus & spyware removal. It can repair virus damage. It will repair Windows and application stability issues. It can perform operating system restoration.

Features:

• Restoro can detect dangerous websites.
• It will detect threatening apps in real-time.
• It will replace damaged or missing files of Windows with the new one.
• Restoro has features to protect against malware.

Price: Restoro offers a free trial. Its 1 License with the one-time repair will cost you $29.95. Unlimited use with support for 1 year is available for $29.95. 3 Licenses with unlimited use for 1 year will cost you $39.95.

#3) Advanced SystemCare

Advanced SystemCare is a tool to clean and optimize your PC. It can boost the PC’s speed by up to 200%. It will keep your personal data away from unprotected programs. You can get a 50% discount from Advanced SystemCare using the link given below.

It will proactively detect and block security holes in real-time. It provides 24*7 technical support on-demand for free. It automatically updates the latest version.

By using Advanced SystemCare Pro, you will get a PC with full potential. It will prevent the privacy breach. Advanced SystemCare has two editions, Free and Pro. Advanced System Care Pro has automatic and advanced features. Enjoy the exclusive offer of a 50% discount from Advanced SystemCare.

Features: Deep Clean registry, clears online trace, optimizes browser settings to speed up the internet, Auto RAM clean.

Cons: As per the reviews, its support response is slow.

Price:

• Advanced SystemCare: Free
• Advanced SystemCare Pro: $17.69 for 3 PCs, yearly subscription. (Available at a 50% discount & it is a limited period offer)
• It offers a 60-days money-back guarantee.

#4) TotalAV Antivirus

Best for Real-time threat detection and elimination.

TotalAV Antivirus is a powerful feature-packed tool that can easily identify malware and other types of threats. Its real-time monitoring capabilities make it suitable for eliminating malware, Trojan, and virus threats before they can do any severe harm to your system.

The tool allows you to set-up scheduled scans that are triggered at your specified date and time to ensure your system is malware-free at all times. Besides this, TotalAV Antivirus is also great at cleaning browser history, junk, and duplicate files to optimize PC performance.

Features:

• PUA Protection
• Phishing Scam Protection
• Ransomware Protection
• Smart Scheduled Scans
• Zero-Day cloud scanning

Price: Free plan for basic scanning only, Pro plan: $19 for 3 devices, Internet Security: $39 for 5 devices, Total Security: $49 for 8 devices.

#5) Vipre

Vipre offers antivirus software and internet security solutions for malware, spyware, and ransomware detections and removal. It can perform a real-time scan. It has cybersecurity solutions for professional as well as personal use.

Its cloud-based email and endpoint security provides business protection. Along with that, it provides employee training that will help with defending organizations from zero-day cyber-attacks.

Features:

• Vipre’s business solution makes use of AI technology for real-time threat tracking.
• Vipre home products have features of behavioral analysis.
• It has 25 years of experience in providing malware protection and cybersecurity.
• It can provide endpoint protection against today’s online threats.
• Vipre gives you the flexibility of choosing the optimal suite of protection capabilities as per your business requirements.

Cons:

• No such cons to mention.