BitDefender launched a new weapon for fighting viruses and malware on Wednesday with the release of their 60-second virus scanner for PCs. The software which comes in the form of a tiny 160KB Windows executable aims to scan your Windows machine for problems in record time while providing real-time cloud protection and alerts. According to the company the software can be run alongside users’ existing anti-virus software for added security.
That means there’s no need to disable your existing protection or worry about potential unwanted interactions, a common problem when running multiple security suites. The cloud-based nature of the scanner also makes it a viable option for those currently under attack from malware, particularly malicious code designed to disable “always on” scanner software.
The scanner works silently in the background and according to BitDefender has “virtually no impact” on a user’s system performance. The company hopes that users will be able to isolate problems with their current protection once they’ve tried the 60-second scanner:
“We expect a lot of people who use the scanner to find out that their existing antivirus solution isn’t catching everything it should,” said Chief Security Strategist Catalin Cosoi in a blog post. The software works with all versions of Windows from XP with Service Pack 2 to the recently released Windows 8.
BitDefender is known for their range of quality affordable Internet security software, including BitDefender Internet Security which is available under the MakeUseOf Rewards scheme in exchange for 650 points. To find out more about this Reward as well as other freebies, check out MakeUseOf Rewards.
Download BitDefender 60-Second Scanner @ BitDefender.com
Source: BitDefender Blog
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great would love to try that
securityscore is also a great way
Mine passed with flying colors, seems AVG is holding up it’s end. :)
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This reminds me of Comodo Cleaning Essentials which has been around for a while and is a standalone antivirus solution (not real time). It’s pretty good in scanning for malicious processes including autorun programs.
My computer has no virus yay
thnx for the updates !
This looks more like that “free scan” gimmick to me than anything that of practical value. Probably a cheap front-end to get people interested in their paid antivirus and firewall.
Even so, at least it makes people with outdated antivirus aware of their conditions. A quick Google search will give them viable alternatives, unless they buy the software without prior research.
I’d also hasten to add that we have all the best free antivirus software (my personal recommendation is Avast! for all its features and updates) on the Best Windows Software page. There’s literally no reason to pay for antivirus software any more!
Added to my “visit friend with problem” memory stick. Great it can run beside other anti virus program
All very good but like many other pieces of software it tries to add itself to start-up and an also adds an additional service. More resources being drained, I guess, despite a claim of no impact on a system, unless anyone can enlighten me differently. Didn’t seem to actually do a lot, apart from telling me that Security Centre was disabled (my choice). Used system restore.
I am going to use this!
Thanks!
its time to scan!
thanks
ill give this a try :)
I’m going to try it :)
…or you could just switch to Linux.
Definitely, I mean that’s less of a headache than downloading a 160KB program right?
I recently became worried based on some of the reports of MSE not functioning up to par with other anti-virus programs. Luckily, this showed I need not worry! It’s always nice to have something to double check your current set-up.
I love BitDefender!
Will be trying this.
I’ll give this one a try next time I troubleshoot a friend’s computer and I suspect viruses. Thanks!
Unnecessary.
You have to be online for better result? hum
Yes, presumably to download up to date definitions otherwise the database would be out of date.
What a shame! After you download the file, you still need to be on line for the installer to download the real tool. I hate those kind of stuff…
Don’t get me wrong, I am all in for free utilities, but at first use I am a disappointed in this one.
First, the “tiny 160KB executable” is misleading: The executable IS 160KB… and the first thing it does is download a 10MB file.
Second, the “60 seconds scan” is also misleading: It does something while showing a 60 second countdown, but upon reaching zero it continues doing something else for a couple of minutes more.
At the end, it generated a report (also downloaded from a server) telling me that my system is at risk because I have no antivirus… which I have (AVG free). The thing is, my system IS behaving weirdly, a couple times a day Google Chrome opens a tab to game sites (urban-rivals.com and browsergame.com), and this utility had nothing to say about that.
Well, I guess if your system is behaving weirdly and this tool suspects something isn’t right maybe it’s time to run a few extra scanners?
I’d try Malwarebytes, AdAware et al to see if it’s just spyware you’ve got. Personally I’ve never been a great believer in AVG, I used to use it but then it failed me a few times. These days I’m always recommending Avast! so maybe give that a go.
Using online Bitdefender Scanner. Will try this new one.
Thank you
This is a neat virus scanner. It really works and does so efficiently!