Malware Removal

I've had a rash of people asking me for help removing malicious software from their computers lately, and so I figured I'd put together a quick little list of the tools I commonly use to remove malicious software (a.k.a. malware) from PC's.

Malware Removal

• ComboFix -- http://www.combofix.org/download.php
• MalwareBytes -- http://malwarebytes.org/mbam-download.php
• Hitman Pro -- http://www.surfright.nl/en/downloads

Artifact Cleanup

• CCleaner -- http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner

I typically run ComboFix first, and if that can't hack it then I go down the line.  I've never encountered a piece of malware that wasn't at least identifiable by one of the removal tools I've listed above... that said, if one of those tools doesn't resolve the issue, there's probably a tool available from one of the A/V vendors that will nuke the particular malware you're dealing with.

Virtually all malware has "benign" files that get missed by malware removal tools, which is where CCleaner comes in.


If you want to avoid getting viruses, here are some tried-and-true tips:

1. Use a firewall -- see my recommendations.
2. Get yourself a good antivirus utility, keep it up to date and perform routine scans -- see here for my recommendations.
3. Keep your OS and applications updated -- especially your browser and its plugins, and your mail client (if you have one.)  You can check to see if your browser is up to date here.  (this is a BRILLIANT little tool from Qualys, make use of it!)
4. Only download software from reputable sources.
5. Don't surf pr0n or use P2P file-sharing programs.

 I hope some of this helps.