USB Scanner Antivirus for PC: 7 Best of 25 Tested [2024]
Top choices brought to you by our team of experts
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Key notes
- Finding the best antivirus for USB flash drives will keep you safe from infecting with malware from external storage sources.
- Even a free solution represents a comprehensive cybersecurity tool.
- A great USB antivirus should disable autorun-related threats before they can access your PC.
- Our top picks will protect your computer and media storage against all types of malware, including viruses, ransomware, worms, and spyware.
USB flash drives are useful storage devices that are not expensive at all. You can use a USB flash drive to keep emergency information and current project files always with you.
You can use them to carry your browser and program settings with you and use them on any PC featuring a USB port. Flash drives are also useful for troubleshooting and repairing all kinds of issues.
Can I put an antivirus on my USB?
You can definitely put an antivirus on your USB. You just need to pick an antivirus solution compatible with your operating system and then drag and drop the downloader installer file onto your USB drive.
We made a list that features the best antivirus solutions for USB drives. All these programs are lightweight, automatic, and compatible with fully-fledged antivirus software.
Additionally, you can add extra protection to your devices with any of these best firewall devices to protect your home network.
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Which antivirus is best for USB?
ESET NOD32 – The most favored AV
ESET NOD32 is a speedy and lightweight security solution, vital for gamers and everyday users that don’t want any malware infection or a slow PC.
This antivirus protects your computer and USB flash drives against all types of malware, including malware, ransomware, worms, and spyware attacks.
Moreover, you can rest assured that no system updates or annoying pop-ups will be displayed while you’re using sensitive banking information online or running programs in full-screen mode.
You should know that device control technology allows you to prevent unauthorized copying of your private data to an external device.
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.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.
The USB Immunizer software is Bitdefender’s response to this enormous and steadily growing problem. The software disables autorun-related threats before they can access your PC.
Once the program is installed, it will regularly check for newly inserted USB storage devices, immunizing them on the spot.
If you plug in an infected USB drive, your computer will not auto-execute the malware code stored on it. The Computer Immunization setting disables the registry entry related to Autorun.
In this manner, a removable storage device (except for CD & DVD ROM media) won’t be able to execute any malware upon mounting. It also immunizes each system partition with a specially-crafted autorun.inf file.
The USB immunizer is available in many languages including English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, or Romanian.
More so, the software reads the current location of the user in the Region and Language settings and automatically loads the appropriate language file.
?️Note: Bitdefender antivirus for flash drives is not a standalone program. It comes incorporated in the complete antivirus package.
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus
Bitdefender is a big name in the antivirus market and it’s the finest choice for protecting USB drives.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.
The software works great on FAT and FAT32 USB drives. As a quick reminder, the USB drives that have already been vaccinated can only be reversed to a previous state through formatting.
Users can also operate the software via the command line. No less important, Panda USB Vaccine it’s part of the complete Panda antivirus package.
Therefore, we can only recommend downloading Panda antivirus which will double your USB-health security.
Panda Security Essential
Stop worrying about USB flash drive infections and use this exhaustive antivirus.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 Free Antivirus
Use one of the best free antivirus software, to protect your computer and scan USB flash drives for malware infection.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
Don’t worry about infected USBs, they will be blocked with the Avira antivirus.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
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 also features a USB scan tool and various repair options. Unfortunately, these features are not available in the trial version.
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.
The tool is also compatible with other antivirus software, and won’t slow down your computer. When you minimize it, the USB Disk Security will run silently in the task tray.
The limitations of the trial version are a bit disappointing. The program is very efficient at scanning inserted flash drives and we really think it’s worth checking it out.
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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