Even today we tend to believe that a computer virus or a hacker wants to enter our PC to do damage and to block the system, just to make us waste some time in formatting or cleaning the PC!
Modern viruses and smarter hackers do not aim to damage a PC for the sole sake of doing damage, but want to exploit as many computers connected on the network to collect usage information, to expand the contacts to which to send advertisements that ranks as spam and make money by holding our personal files hostage.
The baddest ones, as we well know, use viruses and malware to capture bank data or anyway they have to do with money.
If we believe that our antivirus is not enough to be able to counter these threats, in this guide we will show you the sites that offer a free scan of the PC, so that we can immediately check if there are any threats that have escaped our main antivirus.
Since online crawling sites also "hack" to hackers (thus showing fake crawling sites), here we will report only the safe and certified ones.
READ ALSO -> Block the most dangerous websites and viruses on the internet
These online scans work directly inside the browser or, in some cases, by downloading small portable scan engines; this is necessary because the control, correction and removal of viruses takes place through particular codes executed through the browser or small programs, so that we can access our files and scan them.
After the scan it is advisable to trash any downloaded files, since they are updated continuously (better to download them all over again whenever we need them).
To try it, click on the Scan now button and wait for the download to end, then start the esetonlinescanner_ita.exe file. This portable tool will immediately download the virus signatures and scan the PC, so as to find and remove most of the threats. Obviously it is not as effective as the ESET paid solution, but it can be very useful for periodic scanning.
Also in this case we will be asked to download a small portable program, able to quickly scan every area of the PC.
In case a threat is detected, it also provides a powerful cleaning tool, so that you can effectively remove viruses, malware and spyware. Currently one of the best online scans to protect our PC: we recommend downloading it once a month and launching it, so as to check the level of infection of the computer.
On the main page we can choose whether to download the 64bit or 32bit version, depending on the nature of our operating system; at the end of the download we will have a portable program ready to run. The online scan updates the definitions online and proceed to scan for any type of threat. Currently we recommend to test and try this tool only if the others reported so far have had no effect: given its name it could be more difficult to block in case the viruses present on the PC are able to intercept and block the antiviral scans.
McAfee is one of the best companies when it comes to cybersecurity and offers, for free, a good online scan tool called McAfee Security Scan Plus.
Compared to the other programs and tools seen so far, this does not offer a direct threat scan but allows you to check if the antivirus on your PC is active and updated, as well as checking the correct functioning of the firewall and Web security tools.
Among its features we point out the possibility to check if the programs on the computer are suspicious or even dangerous, so that they can be uninstalled before they cause further damage.
After uploading the file (maximum size 128MB) just press the Scan button ! . As a result we will have a complete report, with the analysis carried out by all antiviruses: if a file exceeds 6-7 positive results, it is most likely a virus or a cyber threat, so it is better not to open it and delete it as soon as possible.
In addition to the individual files, VirusTotal also allows you to scan Web addresses: to do this, simply open the page and click on URL, then copy the address to be scanned. If we find some dubious page or some suspicious download link, it is better to scan it first with VirusTotal to avoid having to fight with a dangerous infection.
If we are not sure that we have downloaded it in the past or we have blocked Windows updates, we can download the Microsoft Safety Scanner separately and start the scan.
Once the download is complete, just open it, accept the terms and conditions of use and click Next, to start scanning your computer. After a few minutes we will have our response, with the list of any malware found, their paths and the method of solving the problem. The scan engine is the same as the Windows 10 antivirus, but since it does not remain active in memory, it can be faster and more accurate in scanning threats.
In case you have the feeling of not being too protected, we can always increase the protection of our PC by choosing between
- best free antivirus
- best antimalware
- better firewalls
Modern viruses and smarter hackers do not aim to damage a PC for the sole sake of doing damage, but want to exploit as many computers connected on the network to collect usage information, to expand the contacts to which to send advertisements that ranks as spam and make money by holding our personal files hostage.
The baddest ones, as we well know, use viruses and malware to capture bank data or anyway they have to do with money.
If we believe that our antivirus is not enough to be able to counter these threats, in this guide we will show you the sites that offer a free scan of the PC, so that we can immediately check if there are any threats that have escaped our main antivirus.
Since online crawling sites also "hack" to hackers (thus showing fake crawling sites), here we will report only the safe and certified ones.
READ ALSO -> Block the most dangerous websites and viruses on the internet
These online scans work directly inside the browser or, in some cases, by downloading small portable scan engines; this is necessary because the control, correction and removal of viruses takes place through particular codes executed through the browser or small programs, so that we can access our files and scan them.
After the scan it is advisable to trash any downloaded files, since they are updated continuously (better to download them all over again whenever we need them).
1) ESET Online Scanner
One of the best online scans that we can try is ESET Online Scanner.
To try it, click on the Scan now button and wait for the download to end, then start the esetonlinescanner_ita.exe file. This portable tool will immediately download the virus signatures and scan the PC, so as to find and remove most of the threats. Obviously it is not as effective as the ESET paid solution, but it can be very useful for periodic scanning.
2) F-Secure Online Scanner
Another good online scan that we can test is F-Secure Online Scanner.
Also in this case we will be asked to download a small portable program, able to quickly scan every area of the PC.
In case a threat is detected, it also provides a powerful cleaning tool, so that you can effectively remove viruses, malware and spyware. Currently one of the best online scans to protect our PC: we recommend downloading it once a month and launching it, so as to check the level of infection of the computer.
3) HouseCall
From the Trend Micro manufacturer we can download a free tool called HouseCall.
On the main page we can choose whether to download the 64bit or 32bit version, depending on the nature of our operating system; at the end of the download we will have a portable program ready to run. The online scan updates the definitions online and proceed to scan for any type of threat. Currently we recommend to test and try this tool only if the others reported so far have had no effect: given its name it could be more difficult to block in case the viruses present on the PC are able to intercept and block the antiviral scans.
4) McAfee Security Scan Plus
McAfee is one of the best companies when it comes to cybersecurity and offers, for free, a good online scan tool called McAfee Security Scan Plus.
Compared to the other programs and tools seen so far, this does not offer a direct threat scan but allows you to check if the antivirus on your PC is active and updated, as well as checking the correct functioning of the firewall and Web security tools.
Among its features we point out the possibility to check if the programs on the computer are suspicious or even dangerous, so that they can be uninstalled before they cause further damage.
5) VirusTotal
This site is slightly different from those seen so far, since it is the only one to work completely online without having to start any type of program, not even portable. VirusTotal is one of the best known sites for checking if a file is clean or a virus with 30 antiviruses together. We will be able to check each file that we have downloaded or that has a dubious origin: simply open the site and drag the file inside or, alternatively, click on the Choose file button next to the bar.
After uploading the file (maximum size 128MB) just press the Scan button ! . As a result we will have a complete report, with the analysis carried out by all antiviruses: if a file exceeds 6-7 positive results, it is most likely a virus or a cyber threat, so it is better not to open it and delete it as soon as possible.
In addition to the individual files, VirusTotal also allows you to scan Web addresses: to do this, simply open the page and click on URL, then copy the address to be scanned. If we find some dubious page or some suspicious download link, it is better to scan it first with VirusTotal to avoid having to fight with a dangerous infection.
6) MetaDefender
Metadefender is a free online antivirus alternative to VirusTotal to analyze a file for viruses or malware, with the possibility of scanning multiple files, an IP address, a domain, a URL.7) Chrome Antivirus
An integrated antivirus is hidden inside the Chrome browser, which can be used by opening a new tab and writing in the address bar of Chrome, chrome: // settings / cleanup . Next, a page will appear where all we have to do is click on the Search button and the process will start automatically. In another article, the guide to eliminate malware on PC with Chrome Cleanup .8) Panda Cloud Cleaner
Another interesting free online antivirus is Panda Cloud Cleaner, one of the fastest we can find on the Internet, although it is also one of the most basic. It does not offer the possibility to choose if we want to make a complete or simple scanner, it controls the whole PC quickly.9) Microsoft Safety Scanner
Microsoft's isn't an online antivirus, but it should be downloaded whenever a check is needed and the antivirus doesn't work.If we are not sure that we have downloaded it in the past or we have blocked Windows updates, we can download the Microsoft Safety Scanner separately and start the scan.
Once the download is complete, just open it, accept the terms and conditions of use and click Next, to start scanning your computer. After a few minutes we will have our response, with the list of any malware found, their paths and the method of solving the problem. The scan engine is the same as the Windows 10 antivirus, but since it does not remain active in memory, it can be faster and more accurate in scanning threats.
In case you have the feeling of not being too protected, we can always increase the protection of our PC by choosing between
- best free antivirus
- best antimalware
- better firewalls
