7 Best Antivirus Tools to Scan Your Flash Drive
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The best antivirus tools for flash drives offer real-time scanning, USB-specific protection, and lightweight performance.
Whether you need free or premium options, this list highlights the top antivirus software to keep your USB safe.
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Which antivirus is best for USB?
1. Panda Security Essential – Best for FAT and FAT32 USB drives
The Panda Antivirus includes the USB Vaccine, which is a great utility that disables the Autorun feature from USB drives, preventing malware from infecting your PC.
When this software is applied on the USB drive, it will permanently block the autorun.inf file and it will prevent it from being read, created, deleted, or modified.
In this manner, Windows won’t be able to automatically execute any malicious file that might be stored on the flash drive. You can then use your USB flash drive in a normal way to copy, move, or delete files.
Panda Security Essential
Secure your USB & other devices with this lightweight antivirus!2. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus – Complete USB scanner for PC
Bitdefender software is the go-to antivirus for best-demonstrated protection against malware and also light usage for your Windows PC.
It includes a USB Immunizer, which disables autorun malware and protects against threats before they can spread. It automatically scans newly inserted USB drives, ensuring they are malware-free.
The Computer Immunization feature prevents malicious autorun files from executing, safeguarding your system against infections.
Bitdefender
Get Bitdefender for robust USB immunization!3. ESET NOD32 – The most favored AV
ESET NOD32 is a speedy and lightweight security solution.
This antivirus protects your computer and USB flash drives against malware, ransomware, worms, and spyware attacks.
Additionally, it allows you to block storage media, such as CDs, DVDs, USB sticks, and disk storage devices. You can also block devices connecting via Bluetooth, FireWire, and serial/parallel ports.
ESET NOD32
Use this machine-learning shield with multiple protection features to scan and block infected USB devices.4. Avast Free Antivirus – Features a DND mode
Avast Free Antivirus is another great tool to use in order to protect your computer against viruses and malware, and also to keep your home network safe against intruders.
It features a Do Not Disturb Mode that can block distracting popups whether you’re gaming, watching movies, or presenting in full screen.
You can scan all your computer-connected media storage, including a USB flash driver, HDD, SDD, or any other type of PC storage.
This antivirus has a free version that will check your applications for malware and also keep an eye on their behavior to make sure they don’t suddenly go rogue.
Avast
Download Panda for USB safety & quick PC protection!5. Avira – Free comprehensive security
Avira is another great choice if you are looking for a free security solution for your computer. It is a comprehensive, professional-level cybersecurity that is free for home use and is a good antivirus with usb scanner feature.
Antivirus protection will block all online threats, such as malicious websites, ransomware, and any spyware that you can get while surfing the web.
It will also block any infected USB flash drives or other media storage connected to your computer. So, you don’t have to worry when using a USB with documents from another computer.
Avira
Level up your USB security with Avira in just a few clicks!6. ClevX DriveSecurity – No host installation required
DriveSecurity is a powerful antivirus solution and usb scan software dedicated to users who often transfer various files, such as pictures, music, and videos via USB drives.
The tool nips malware in the bud, removing it before you transfer any infected files to your drive. In this manner, your USB flash drive is always malware-free.
DriveSecurity detects a wide range of threats, including viruses, rootkits, worms, and spyware.
ClevX DriveSecurity USB antivirus key features:
- Works with any USB drive
- Automatic scanning and virus removal
- No host installation required
- Encrypted secure drives companion
7. USB Disk Security – High level of protection
This program detects any virus before it infects your memory stick and then your whole system. By their very own nature, flash drives are prone to infections.
Oftentimes, users connect them to various computers and this increases the high risk of getting infected.
Once you install it, the USB Disk Security will automatically run whenever a flash drive is inserted into your machine, checking for infections.
USB Disk Security delivers a high level of protection against any malicious programs.
It protects your PC against data theft and accidental disclosure of confidential information, preventing unauthorized persons from stealing your data.
How do I make sure my USB has no virus?
If your USB flash drive is infected with malware, it can cause not only the loss of your data but also spread malware to all the computers it gets plugged into.
Prevention is always better than cure. For this reason, we’re going to the best antivirus software to protect your computer against infected USB flash drives.
They can be used whenever you’re looking for:
- USB antivirus – USB flash drives are supposed to be virus-free, so make sure things remain the same even after months of usage.
- Bootable antivirus USB – Bootable antivirus programs let you create a special flash drive from a working PC and later use it to scan the hard drive even without starting Windows.
- USB antivirus scanner – When you wish to scan your USB flash drives for any malware, these great antivirus solutions with a USB scanner can help you out.
- Run antivirus from USB – Booting your PC from a USB drive containing an antivirus often does wonders, so don’t hesitate to pick one of our previously mentioned antivirus solutions.
If you have any suggestions that we should include in our list, please leave us a comment below.
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