With the rise in the pests that we call Malware what tools should you have available to you ?
Initially I’d have to say that you want these tools available offline – able to go anywhere and help you – so you will want to devise a mechanism – perhaps a diary note to download the latest versions of the tools on a regular basis to carry with you. I found that these tools – usually in combination have the most leverage against the various black apps that can paralyse your machine. Bear in mind also that a lot of these evil programs can prevent you accessing many of the web sites for the tools that can be used to combat them – so that is not the time to find out you cannot get to the site you need.
Tip
If you have access to an ftp server that you can store up to date copies of the tools – this can also get you out of a bind when the infection won’t let you get to your support websites. You can always revert to command line FTP to get files downloaded
Tip
If you own a Draytek 2820 router then here is where you can set up your own ftp server using the routers USB port
The tools
Autoruns from Sysinternals
Hijackthis from Trend http://free.antivirus.com/hijackthis/
Malware Bytes http://www.malwarebytes.org/
Super Antispyware Free Version http://www.superantispyware.com/
Slax – a bootable linux disto for just this kind of challenge – http://www.slax.org/
Sophos Antivirus from Sophos www.sophos.com