Which is best, SpyBot S&D or Malwarebytes?

When you come to using your computer for almost everything, from work to managing your bank account and keeping in contact with your friends or making purchases online, every single application that you install and give access to your private data must be carefully scrutinized, while keeping unwanted guests at bay.
If computer viruses started with experiments and proof of concept programming in universities, there is no doubt the plague known as malware in present times was designed from scratch for malicious purposes.
Viruses achieved their goals by spreading and going out of control in the wild. Malware is not the result of implementing biology principles in software, but rather a vicious set of tools designed to pry on large numbers of computer users, steal their data and not last, manipulate their perception.
Faced with the losses generated by malware, the public is entitled to demand why the IT&C industry and the authorities tolerate the situation.
It boils down to the nature of backdoors malware uses to propagate - software vulnerabilities combined with social engineering attacks.
The computer security industry attacks the problem from different angles, but the measure of their success is a double-edge sword.
Some of the best programs to fight malware are free - this way their creators can avoid being portrayed as the fathers of the very same threats their security solutions are designed to remove.
Among the leaders in fighting malware, SpyBot S&D and Malwarebytes Anti-malware are two well-known names that have been known for long to offer their products free of charge.
Installing of these applications on your computer confronts you with the different approaches taken by their authors in designing tools fit for the same purpose.
There are four main aspects needed to differentiate between competing anti-malware products: the list of malware signatures used for detection, the speed and accuracy of the removal and the presence of maintenance features like realtime prevention and scheduled updates.
Another interesting trait is the usability of the interface, together with the frequency of updates and the level of documentation that accompanies the threat list.
Malwarebytes Anti-malware provides what is regarded as probably the most up-to-date signatures database on the market. They collect millions of reports, analyze the adware/spyware and implement automated removal in their application in record times.
Malwarebytes differentiate between malware removal and pro-active protection. When ordering more Malwarebytes licenses at the same time you can get a discount even if you don't enter a Malwarebytes coupon code at checkout. It does not sound impressive in itself, but such volume discounts are another proof of Malwarebytes trying to position their product in the corporate computer network, besides the millions of individual home users.

Choosing SpyBot on the money argument alone can be tempting at this stage.
To simplify your choice, simply weight a slower Internet experience against a faster one, all other things being equal. Avoid a new purchase with SpyBot. If you value your computer's speed, try Malwarebytes' full version. Before you complete your order, you can try to save on your acquisition with a Malwarebytes coupon code already tested by other readers. Malwarebytes coupon codes are hard to come by, but worth the effort to find and test - you are making an investment in your privacy and the security of your data.
This short article only scratches the surface of this topic, without discussing the ethics behind certain adware applications or the shocking attacks on privacy perpetrated by spyware authors. With such serious threats, there is no time to rest - you have to take action and remove it from your PC as soon as possible, before any more damage is done.

Remove malware disguised as antivirus with simple methods

AntivirXP08, Antivirus2008, or Antivirus2009 as it is presenting itself sometimes is one of the many fake antivirus applications which tries to make you buy their software which doesn't work anyways. Call it ad-, mal- or spy-ware, such software will not stop short of taking over your screen or computing resources - anything it takes to make the user pay for the promised solution to his newly found problems. In this short material I will take your through the simple steps of dealing with this kind of threat for free and completely on your own.

I have learned how to remove malware on my own. I will suggest you my method, but you can go ahead and do it manually if you want - just be prepared to invest some more time and attention, however instructive you might find it.

Fake antiviruses don't stand a chance in front of Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware. Visit http://www.malwarebytes.org to download their application.

You get to use this application free of charge. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware has a paid version as well, but it only adds functionality if you choose to pay a small one-time fee. And even that can be halved with the right Malwarebytes coupon code.

Once the download is complete you can install and update the application with the latest malware signatures. Launch it in quick scan if you are in a hurry, or a full scan if you suspect a serious infestation with different malware programs running at the same time. When scanning is finished click on the "Show Results". Make sure that all detected threats are clicked on and click on Remove Selected. Then Restart your computer.

As long as these are the only major malware programs on your computer, you will be good to go. This has worked great with my friends who have been plagued with these pieces of malware. Whatever you do, don't actually purchase their software.

***EDIT*** The Yahoo!Answers question mentioned above received an answer - just as I knew, the best place to check for the latest Malwarebytes coupon code remains the dtcdeals blog, where individual users list their working coupons for the benefit of others.

Over 500 million computers infected with Adware.MyWebSearch

The global number of infestations with Adware.MyWebSearch is on the rise, according to MalwareNET, the online database about malware run by Malwarebytes, the authors of the free tool Anti-Malware (free to download and use, except for the advanced realtime protection worth 25USD, although you can get a Malwarebytes coupon code to save up to 50% at checkout).

There is one way to get Adware.MyWebSearch installed on a user's computer - by visiting its associated website.

Once the Adware.MyWebSearch program is installed it may start to display very intrusive pop-up messages and advertisements.

The advertisments are so intrusive that the user's desktop will become useless for several moments.

Due to their browser-like appearance, most users will blame the websites they were currently visiting for the pop-ups and ignore the adware, at least until it starts to have other side effects.

Being an Internet Explorer addition dedicated to tracking the text users type into any search fields, Adware.MyWebSearch has the display properties of a Browser Helper Object and carries a recognizable footprint.

Such applications are not always spyware, but AdwareMyWebSearch was found to monitor the user's Internet preferences and send that together with additional information regarding the software running on the same computer to 3rd party destinations.

The main focus of Adware.MyWebSearch is to display targeted advertisements based on your personal interest. These advertisments typically pop-up from every direction, often leading to spam emails and a terrible slowing down of the computer system's performance.

If your computer has been infected with this malicious software, it is recommended that you remove Adware.Mywebsearch immediately.

Luckily there are many good applications out there to remove such malware - some of the best are even free and can take care of the problem in minutes.

I would have not spent the time to share this information with you were I not the victim of Adware.MyWebSearch myself. This is how I ended up on MalwareNET and using the free version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. I can definitely recommend it, for me it did what it said on the tin. For a fee you could opt for the preventive protection given by the full version as well, even save up to 50% when using a Malwarebytes coupon code.

You can find more information about Adware.MyWebSearch here.

Can Malwarebytes Antimalware remove Malware Doctor?

Are you suspecting your PC of being infested with Trojans like Malware Doctor? Fact is this application claims to be a malware removal tool, but proves to be an aggressive virus that can take over your entire system. An infection with Malware Doctor cannot be left aside and immediate measures are required to stop its malevolent behavior. In the next paragraphs I will explain what it does and how to remove it...

The main objective of this malware is to make money off you - both by stealing your personal details and convincing you to pay for a full version. The rogue malware will attempt continously to scare you into buying the full version and consequently unleash even more evil code on your PC. Regardless of the threatening messages, do not give in and keep refusing to pay for anyting. None of the messages and alerts you will see are real and can be skipped without second doubts. Once you acknowledged the situation, you can take corrective actions to remove this software with the proper tools.

When you are going after malware, you can do it manually - if you have the correct and complete information on how to do it - or automatically, employing the services of a specialized piece of software. The first requires sometimes expert knowledge and is more time consuming; the second can fail if the malware prevents you to load the good tools on your system.

Malware Doctor can present a challenge when removing manually - its high resiliency stems from having several files and mechanisms in place to survive a partial deletion and restore itself after a cold reboot. Here are the steps to follow in case you feel brave enough - bear in mind it is not guaranteed, as you might be facing a different strain or even compromise the stability of your OS in the process...

First Google for the files and registry keys specific to the malware you suspect on your computer. In order to remove the virus you need to delete all its parts at once. This can include but is not limited to:

1. Removing all Malware Doctor related processes (any malicious EXE files)

2. Removing any associated DLL files (Dynamic Link Library)

3. Removing any malicious .lnk files associated with the virus

4. Go into the registry, locate and remove all references to dangerous files

If you don't know much about computers, then you probably don't even have a clue what the above info means. Therefore I strongly recommend removing Malware doctor automatically by using a proper spyware remover.

Other means to get infected by spyware are proprietary music or video players, infected warez applications, infected PDF files or simply visiting malicious sites. If you got infected this way, there is no guarantee it will not happen again and the safest bet against it is to install and run realtime protection - a software that protects your computer all the time.

Should your computer get infested by the Vundo trojan, the immediate solution would be to install and execute Malwarebytes Anti-Malware or Spybot S&D - they are both free and updated very often.

To keep your computer clean and prevent future infections you can buy a reliable anti-malware program like Malwarebytes' Full Version. The one time payment of 24.95USD gives you access to unlimited updates, and you can lower the amount even further by using a Malwarebytes coupon code.