What Is It?
The free version of the cloud based second opinion anti-malware scanner program Zemana AntiMalware, this is a direct link to download the free version because the main page links to the trial version instead of the free version; and the link to the free version used to be hidden at the bottom of that page.
What Is It About?
This is how Wikipedia describes this program:
In 2015, Zemana presented an anti-malware security solution for Microsoft Windows [15][16] named Zemana AntiMalware.
It is a second opinion malware scanner designed to scan and clean a PC from malware.
It protects users from known and yet-to-be-born threats such as viruses, trojans, rootkits, computer worms, spyware, ransomware.[17][18]
Zemana AntiMalware is very efficient in adware removal, especially for many hard to remove adware infections.[19]
It is a cloud based anti-malware software with its own signature database.
Zemana AntiMalware is highly optimized and lightweight, with virus definitions stored in the cloud, not cluttering up PCs’ drive.[20]
Because it scans the files in the cloud, the detection time for new virus outbreaks is reduced.
In July 2016, MRG Effitas, a UK-based independent IT security research company, conducted a comparative analysis of Zemana AntiMalware and other prevalent generic ransomware tools.
The tested version of Zemana AntiMalware was 2.21.2.139.
Besides the default settings used, Pandora Cloud-Sandbox Technology was turned on.
They tested ransomware protection tools against eleven different ransomware, which have been prevalent in-the wild over the past 3–4 years.
Based on this report, Zemana AntiMalware proved to be the best ransomware protection among the tested products during the test.[21]
Zemana AntiMalware is available in two versions, where one is for free use with limited security features[22] and the other version is available in a form of a 14-day free trial of the commercialized version including all security features: real-time protection, bootkit and rootkit removal, ransomware protection, malware removal, browser cleaning, zero-day malware protection, malware scanning and automatic updating.[23]
My Thoughts
*Update, sadly as of 2019 I no longer recommend Zemana AntiMalware Free.)*
This free anti-malware scanner was one of the best simple and fast and easy to use and effective free second opinion scanners in my opinion.
Along with Sophos Scan & Clean, Norton Power Eraser, ESET Online Scanner, Malwarebytes AdwCleaner, and maybe Malwarebytes Free; which I now recommend using either of these instead of Zemana AntiMalware Free.
I used to definitely recommend using Zemana AntiMalware Free to manually scan your computer at least once a week and to scan all files that you download and to scan any removable devices that you connect to your computer; but not anymore.
The free version has free on-demand detection and removal of malware but requires an internet connection to run because it is cloud based.
I used to recommend downloading it now and scanning your computer with it to test it yourself, you might be surprised by what you find and how easy this is to use and how effective it was; but not anymore.
The free version does not have real-time protection, it is an on-demand scanner only, and so you have to manually open it and scan each time to use it.
So the free version is meant to be used to help you catch malware that your main real-time anti-malware protection misses.
Here is a review of the premium version, not the free version, I still would not recommend it either, of Zemana AntiMalware by The PC Security Channel [TPSC]:
The end,
- John Jr
John Jr's Blog 