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Malware is bad. No one likes malware. Rootkit is one of the worst forms of malware because rootkits hide themselves “under” or “within” the Windows operating system, making harder to detect and remove than other types of malware. Because of this, rootkit is one of the only forms of malware that has specialized removal software, known as anti-rootkit programs.
Now that doesn’t mean security suites and anti-virus programs don’t have anti-rootkit capabilities built in; in fact, most security suites and anti-virus programs do indeed have anti-rootkit protection built into them. Rather, what I mean to say is there is a special class of software out there that specialize in removal of rootkits, aka anti-rootkit programs. And we have compiled a list of nine free anti-rootkit programs for you to pick from. Enjoy!
13 TOP BEST FREE ANTI-ROOTKIT SOFTWARE FOR WINDOWS XP, VISTA, 7, AND 8
AVG Anti-Rootkit
Panda Anti-Rootkit
F-Secure BlackLight Rootkit Detection
Vba32 AntiRootkit
Sophos Anti-Rootkit (now known as Sophos Virus Removal Tool)
Malwarebytes Anti-Rootkit
aswMBR
Bitdefender Rootkit Remover
Comodo Cleaning Essentials
GMER
Kaspersky TDSSKiller
Dr.Web CureIt
Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool
WHICH ONE IS THE TOP BEST FREE ANTI-ROOTKIT TOOL?
Before we delve into which one is the “best”, it should be noted no anti-rootkit tool is perfect. Because of the way rootkits work, it is very possible that anti-rootkit program A is unable to remove rootkit Z but can remove rootkit Y while anti-rootkit program B is unable to remove rootkit Y but can remove rootkit Z. In other words, it is always good to have multiple anti-rootkit utilities at your disposal because they cover each others weaknesses.
However, that doesn’t mean all anti-rootkit programs are equal. Indeed, some anti-rootkit programs are better than others. So which is the best?
Well, immediately thrown out of the race are AVG Anti-Rootkit, Panda Anti-Rootkit, F-Secure BlackLight Rootkit Detection, Vba32 AntiRootkit, and Comodo Cleanning Essentials. Why? Because these five programs are no longer actively developed and will only remove old(er) rootkits. That leaves Sophos Anti-Rootkit, Malwarebytes Anti-Rootkit (which is still in Beta), aswMBR (which is based on GMER technology), Bitdefender Rootkit Remover, GMER, Kaspersky TDSSKiller, Dr.Web CureIt, and Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool in the race.
Out of these eight anti-rootkit programs, the top four are Sophos Anti-Rootkit, Malwarebytes Anti-Rootkit, aswMBR, and Kaspersky TDDSKiller. Of these anti-rootkit programs, all four programs are ones that you want to keep in your anti-rootkit toolkit because, as I mentioned previously, no one anti-rootkit program can remove rootkits. That being said, unfortunately, Sophos Anti-Rootkit and Kaspersky TDDSkiller haven’t yet been updated to officially work with Windows 8 (they may still work with Windows 8, but Windows 8 isn’t officially supported by them). So Malwarebytes Anti-Rootkit ranks on the top of my list as the top best free rootkit removal program, followed by aswMBR, Kaspersky TDDSkiller, and Sophos Anti-Rootkit.
CONCLUSION AND DOWNLOAD LINKS
In this article, we have listed 13 free rootkit removal programs for Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8. Wether you decide to download our top picks or any other on this list, we hope these programs will help you stay safe.
The download links for each program can be found below.
AVG Anti-Rootkit download page
Panda Anti-Rootkit download page
F-Secure BlackLight Rootkit Detection download page
Vba32 AntiRootkit download page
Sophos Anti-Rootkit download page
Malwarebytes Anti-Rootkit download page
Bitdefender Rootkit Remover download page
Comodo Cleaning Essentials download page
Kaspersky TDSSKiller download page
Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool
