Robert Irvine recommends new programs that won’t cost you a thing
ANTIVIRUS SOFTWAREMalwarebytes 5
www.snipca.com/49517
What you need: Windows 7, 8.1, 10 or 11, or macOS
Nearly five years since the last major version was released (see Issue 567, page 18), Malwarebytes 5 has finally arrived. The popular antivirus software has been ‘reimagined’ to give your PC even more powerful protection against the latest security threats.
When you open Malwarebytes 5, the first change you’ll notice is to the program’s Dashboard. The three tiles for running the Scanner, viewing your Detection History and configuring Real-Time Protection are now grouped in a Security section in the top-left corner, so they no longer dominate the interface.
This makes room for the new Trusted Advisor section on the right, which provides a protection score for both your current PC and any mobile devices you have the Malwarebytes app installed on. It also lets you check that all Malwarebytes’ privacy and security settings are correctly configured. You’ll need a Premium subscription, which costs from £30 a year, to activate most of these settings, because Real-Time Protection isn’t available in the free version – though it is possible to check that your browser and Windows are up to date The good news is you can still scan your PC for malware for free, and quarantine and delete any threats the program finds. Malwarebytes offers a choice of Quick and Custom scans, which are now faster and more thorough than ever, and it won’t clash with your existing antivirus software. We also like the new scan reminders, which notify you when you haven’t scanned your PC for a specified number of days, and prompt you to run a scan when new files and programs are downloaded.
When you install Malwarebytes, choose Personal as the protection type and whether you want to add its Browser Guard extension to your browser to block ads, trackers and malicious websites. You get a 14-day trial to Malwarebytes Premium, with access to all features except the VPN, without needing to enter any payment-card details.
1Before you run a Quick or Custom scan with Malwarebytes, click the three-dot icon next to the Scan button and choose Settings. This provides options to scan for rootkits and PUPs, scan within compressed archives, and to use AI to detect threats.
2Click the Settings tab to specify whether Malwarebytes should run on Windows startup and how frequently it should check for ‘threat intelligence updates’. You can also activate
