Introduction
“The only truly secure system is one that is powered off, cast in a block of concrete and sealed in a lead-lined room with armed guards.” Gene Spafford
Most PCs are now connected to the Internet and networks, making easier the spread of malicious software (malware), which includes trojans (also known as trojan horses), viruses, worms, spyware, adware, rootkits and other malicious or unwanted programs.
To minimise the threats, most PC users will need an effective anti-malware program to remove trojans along with other malware.
Despite their ratings in this review, some anti-malware programs in certain cases are able to detect more malware than the others depending on their designs, online databases and the infections on computers.
Read also: About Trojans and Multiple Anti-malware Programs at the end of this article.
[Doakio Editor's Note: This article was restored from Gizmo's Freeware archives as a service to the freeware community. Gizmo's Freeware provided high-quality, volunteer freeware reviews for decades. They shut down in July of 2021.]
Rated Products
Emsisoft Anti-Malware A good choice to scan and remove trojans and other malware from your PC.
License: Free (Limited features)
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware An on-demand scanner to find and remove trojans alongside other malware.
License: Free (Limited features)
SUPERAntiSpyware Deals with trojans and other threats besides detecting and removing spyware infections.
License: Free (Limited features)
Comodo Cleaning Essentials A portable on-demand scanner employs heuristic and signature-based scanning to detect trojans, rootkits and other malware.
License: Free
Other Related Products
These are a number of other free trojan scanners and removers which were brought up in comments here or noted from other sources. As they are not rated in this review, I am listing them here with brief descriptions and links to their sites for ease of reference:
- FreeFixer scans your system and can remove trojans and other malware but the user has to be able to interpret the results. Extra care must be taken as deletion of crucial files could damage your system. However, there is a FreeFixer user forum to help you with the scan results and the software is regularly updated.A FreeFixer Portable version is available here: http://www.freefixer.com/download.html#portable. (The .zip file contains both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions.)
- Bitdefender Antivirus Free is a set and forget piece of software that is bloatware free and therefore, lightweight.
About Trojans and Multiple Anti-malware Programs
Trojans, Malware and Threats
Like spyware and adware, trojans can get onto your computer in a number of ways, including: from a web browser; via email; or in a bundle with other software downloaded from the Internet. You may also inadvertently transfer malware via a USB flash drive or other portable media. It is possible that you could be forced to reformat your USB flash drive or other portable device in order to eliminate the infection and avoid transferring it to other machines.
Unlike viruses or worms, trojans do not replicate themselves, but they can be just as destructive. On the surface, trojans appear benign and harmless, but once the infected code is run, trojans kick in and perform malicious functions to harm the computer system without the users' knowledge.
For example, waterfalls.scr is a waterfall screen saver as originally claimed by the author, but it can be associated with malware and become a trojan to unload hidden programs and allow unauthorized access to the users' PC.
Some typical examples of threats by trojans are as follows:
- Erase, overwrite or corrupt data on a computer
- Help to spread other malware such as viruses (by a dropper trojan)
- Deactivate or interfere with anti-virus and firewall programs
- Allow remote access to your computer (by a remote access trojan)
- Upload and download files without your knowledge
- Gather e-mail addresses and use them for spam
- Log keystrokes to steal information such as passwords and credit card numbers
- Copy fake links to false websites, display porno sites, play sounds/videos, display images
- Slow down, restart or shut down your computer
- Re-install themselves after being disabled
- Disable the task manager
- Disable the control panel
Boundary Between Anti-trojan and Anti-malware Programs
As more computer security developers are extending their product capabilities to address more than one type of malware, the boundary between different types of anti-malware programs is no longer clear-cut and has become blurred.
For example, an anti-virus program such as AVG Anti-Virus covers not only viruses, but offers protection against spyware, adware and others. An anti-spyware program such as SuperAntiSpyware not only detects spyware, but removes trojans, rootkits and other threats. Likewise an anti-trojan program can offer to remove viruses, spyware and other types of malware.
More appropriately, these security products are to be classified as anti-malware programs rather than to be grouped by the name of the products.
In this respect, anti-malware products which are designed to detect and remove trojans more effectively than the others will be reviewed in this category.
How many anti-malware programs do I need to install?
The following extract attempts to answer the aforementioned question and forms part of Gizmo Richards' Support Alert Newsletter, Issue 156, April 2008.
Interviewer: So do you still need an AV program plus an anti-spyware program and an anti-trojan scanner?
Gizmo: For the majority of average users the answer is no. A single competent broad spectrum anti-malware product is enough. Of course, not everyone is an average user. Users who engage in high risk activities, like sourcing their software from P2P services, should load up their PC with all the protection they can get. Similarly, there are users for whom the best possible protection is paramount, regardless of cost or performance implications. Finally, users of freeware scanners who cannot afford [and/or are unwilling to pay for] a premium product may be well advised to use more than one signature-based scanner.
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