- You are on a computer where you do not have administrative rights to install antivirus software. But you need to scan for malware, and
- You want to double-check your system (or just a single downloaded file) for potential security threats by running it through a spyware scan. I can give you a few more backdrops of security threats we face in our everyday use of computers, but let these two show you the importance of having a good alternative security solution at hand. That alternative could be the F-Secure Online Scanner. The free online scanner runs within your web browser, so you don’t run the risk of conflicts with other security systems on your PC.
The only thing you need to do is enable JavaScript, and you need to have at least Version 6 Update 10 of Java Runtime Environment installed. You can be assured of the latest virus definition updates as F-Secure maintains the same database across all its security products. The F-Secure Online Scanner gives you three scan modes.
Of the three, I often like to use the My Scan mode to quickly scan any suspicious files I might have downloaded by mistake. Clicking on Show Options gives you a few more choices to select. As the screen shows, F-Secure Online Scanner can also scan inside compressed files, and more importantly – you can enable it to detect malware exploits via rootkits.
The only hitch with an online scanner is in the time it takes the F-Secure Scanner to download some necessary files from the internet. You might have to twiddle your thumbs if your net speed is a turtle. But once the scan is through, the application displays a summary targeting the harmful files. These files can be deleted from the system and send to F-Secure as a sample. There! You now have a clean system as well as some peace of mind.. at least till the next malware strike. Online scanners like F-Secure are the not an umbrella solution, but just another ace you should have up your sleeve. You can never be too careful when it comes to online security threats. The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.