Set Up and Run Anti-malware Software

It goes by many names these days like Antivirus, Internet Security Software, or Endpoint Protection Software. A good, modern, anti-malware package is a set of tools that helps you prevent malware infection, detect when infections have occurred, and remove them when they do.

Anti-malware software can't stop everything, so you still need to be careful online and when plugging devices into your computer. But good packages can help reduce successful phishing, ransomware, spyware, and other infections. And it can sometimes help reduce the impact when one does slip through.

Despite its imperfections , I believe it's better to have than not, even given the cost associated with a good package.

As of this writing, I recommend using Malwarebytes for your anti-malware protection.

It's the first and one of the few parts of this security journey where I'll recommend something that isn't free. But I believe that it's hard to find a good free product that offers the same amount of protection as the paid products.

Malwarebytes is simpler to set up than most alternatives, lighter weight, and doesn't bundle extra software you don't need. Malwarebytes Standard is around ~$60 per year for up to 3 devices, covering both Windows and macOS. You don't need the Plus, Ultimate, or VPN add-on tiers. They offer a 14-day free trial, and there's also a free version you can use for manual scanning if you'd rather not pay.

One of the nice things about Malwarebytes is that a single subscription covers both macOS and Windows devices. So whether you have one Mac, a mix of laptops, or a Windows desktop at home, you're covered with one plan.

You'll need administrator access on your computer to perform most of the actions in the rest of this step. If this is a personal computer, and you're the only person who uses it, this should just mean that you have the password you use to log in to your computer. This is the same as installing any software.

If you have any existing anti-malware packages on your computer besides the built-in Windows Defender, you'll need to uninstall those first. Examples would be Kaspersky, Norton, McAfee, Avira, Avast, or Sophos.

Head over to the Malwarebytes website to download the installer. You can start with the free trial of Premium, or just grab the free version if you'd prefer to start there.

Download from the Malwarebytes website, run the installer, and follow the prompts. It's straightforward and doesn't require you to create an account for the free version.

If you do sign up for Premium, just be sure to make a new strong and unique password for your Malwarebytes account.

Index card with example passwords

If you're following along with the steps in order, this will be the 3rd strong and unique password you've made. Remember, you can just use the Bitwarden Password Generator site to make a new password for this step.

At the end of the setup process, you should be walked through running your first system scan or assessment. If it finds any existing malware on your system, it should walk you through cleaning it up, if it can.

If it doesn't automatically perform a full system scan after setup, you should be able to run a manual scan from the Malwarebytes dashboard.

Be sure to check out all the features included with your package. Just click through all the screens of the Malwarebytes window. Most of the big ones should be enabled automatically, but you can see if there's anything else you'd like to use.

On Windows, for example, you may find the Web Protection and Exploit Protection features useful. These run in the background and help block malicious websites and attacks targeting software vulnerabilities.

On macOS, Malwarebytes will scan for adware, malware, and potentially unwanted programs. You can run scans manually or let the real-time protection work in the background.

Malwarebytes may offer a VPN add-on during setup. I don't recommend using it at this time. If you're interested in VPN protection, I'll discuss that in a later part of the journey.

It does! And many sources indicate that it's doing a pretty good job of protecting computers these days. It doesn't have as extensive of a feature set offered by a package like Malwarebytes, so I recommend adding Malwarebytes to your defenses. Windows Defender can still run regularly in scan mode and work alongside other packages, as long as you enable it in your Windows Security settings.

It's a common misconception because for years Mac market share seemed to make it a smaller target. But these days I believe it's just as important to have those extra layers on a Mac as anything else. Think of it as a second opinion to the built-in security and your own good practices.