What's the right tool to check for USB Flash Drive viruses?
June 5, 2015 1:19 PM
I get the feeling that my USB Flash Drives are pwned. I install clean install of Win7 onto an empty partition, and everything seems just fine. But after using a flash drive or two, web browsing sluggish and AJAX/JavaScript interactions are slow and sluggish. Something is wrong. What is the RIGHT TOOL to use, to check my USB Flash Drives for viruses?
I am unlikely to want to give money to Norton or McAfee or Kasperky or any of the "official" anti-virus companies. I don't do porn sites. Also, I have access to Linux, if necessary.
I am unlikely to want to give money to Norton or McAfee or Kasperky or any of the "official" anti-virus companies. I don't do porn sites. Also, I have access to Linux, if necessary.
You may also want to look into whether you've been hit with a root kit. Clean install isn't quite enough.
posted by cjorgensen at 1:33 PM on June 5, 2015
posted by cjorgensen at 1:33 PM on June 5, 2015
USB infections have the capacity to be really sneaky. (I'm not sure if these have been found in the wild yet, but it seems likely.) If you have reason to not trust a drive, it's going to be a lot easier and more foolproof to smash and/or dispose of the bad one(s).
posted by stobor at 1:43 PM on June 5, 2015
posted by stobor at 1:43 PM on June 5, 2015
Turn off autoplay on USB and CD drives. Make a bootable rescue CD; there are many varieties, you want to be able to boot from a CD and look at USB drive content. Windows Defender Offline is a fine plan. Also, check out deezil's profile for more help.
posted by theora55 at 2:07 PM on June 5, 2015
posted by theora55 at 2:07 PM on June 5, 2015
Some USB virii variants (if they in the firmware) are completely undetectable. But (as always) start with Deezil's profile.
posted by blue_beetle at 2:11 PM on June 5, 2015
posted by blue_beetle at 2:11 PM on June 5, 2015
cjorgenson: MSE used to not be too bad, but its detection rates have gotten worse and worse over time. I used to recommend (and use) it but have now switched to Kaspersky.
posted by jferg at 3:49 PM on June 5, 2015
posted by jferg at 3:49 PM on June 5, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
Avast is good and free, and the one from Microsoft doesn't suck: MS Security Essentials.
If you think you have something I'd also suggest MalwareBytes.
posted by cjorgensen at 1:31 PM on June 5, 2015