A computer virus in the digital realm is comparable to a robber or burglar in the physical world. Everyone who uses a computer or laptop must therefore exercise caution when accessing the internet. This article lists down some of the best online virus scanners for you.
The Internet is the principal entry point for viruses on personal devices. Malware is the primary web-based threat that poses significant hazards to computers, especially when connected to the internet. This is the reason for the development of numerous antivirus programs, including online file virus scanners.
How can you tell if the attachment you received via email or downloaded from an unknown website is protected from execution and free of a virus? You would usually rely on the antivirus software that comes preinstalled on your PC to inform you of its security status. Antivirus software is never a foolproof method for detecting and preventing all viruses.
Due to the fact that each antivirus program is unique, it would be impractical to examine a suspicious file or folder acquired from a risky website with a different antivirus program. However, you cannot normally install many antivirus programs on a single PC; otherwise, there may likely be conflicts that slow down your PC. Utilizing the greatest online virus scanner is a solution to this issue.
What exactly is an Online Virus Scanner?
Essentially, an online antivirus scanner is a web-based service that anyone can use to upload files and have them scanned with a variety of antivirus software. Simply visit the website, peruse the document you wish to upload, click a button to initiate the upload, and wait for the results. In just a few seconds or minutes, depending on the server load and speed, the findings are displayed on your web browser for you to decide whether or not it has been compromised.
Suppose you feel your device is infected with a virus but have not yet purchased a commercial antivirus program. In this instance, a free internet-based virus scanner can provide a quick and easy solution without the need to download and install additional antivirus software.
These online virus scanners do their processing on cloud servers, so they do not consume the processing power of your device. In addition, the computing performance of these servers is unfathomable in comparison to your PCs. Therefore, employing online virus scanners is the best solution for everyone.
Online Virus Scanner Vs. Offline Antivirus Software
Antivirus software was initially introduced as offline-only software, as is common knowledge. After many years of development, online scanners were introduced to the market to attract a brand-new consumer base that values space-saving concepts in the realm of cloud computing. There are numerous ways in which online scanners are superior and distinct from traditional antivirus software. Examine the below-listed explanations.
No installation required Antivirus
If you employ offline antivirus software, it must be downloaded and installed on your computer. This will require a great deal of storage space. While online virus scanners do not require any storage space because they can be accessed immediately from a web browser, offline virus scanners must.
Free Standard Scanning
The primary characteristic of internet-based virus scanners is that they are gratis. A web-based virus scanner does not incur any additional fees. While the filtering is free, it is expected that the results will be limited to some degree, and the user will not receive a complete checking package as compared to the offline version.
More regular updates
A primary advantage of an online virus scanner is that it is continually effective and robust, with more frequent updates. Due to the web-based community of developers who regularly contribute to several open-source applications, it receives fresh upgrades. Thus, a client can leverage modern web-based programming, which addresses previously unaddressed difficulties.
Real-time threat scan
When utilizing an online virus scanner, you may benefit from real-time scanning for viruses and malware on every website you visit. Additionally, it may detect SQL queries that could be harmful to a user’s database.
Rapid and effective
As indicated previously, these online virus scanners perform their work on high-speed cloud servers. Such server speeds cannot be compared to those of a typical computer. For instance, if one 18 GB file takes 20 minutes to scan on your computer using offline antivirus software, an online scanner may scan the same file with more precision and efficiency in less than 5 minutes.
7 Best Online Virus Scanners for Files
Now, let’s examine the top online virus scanners that you can use to scan your data.
1. VirusTotal
You can search VirusTotal’s comprehensive database using a single file, a URL, an IP address, a domain, or a file hash. In addition, VirusTotal offers the largest selection of tools and has one of the largest databases of malicious files and file signatures from other users.
Additionally, Google acquired it in September of 2012. In comparison to its competitors, VirusTotal is superior in nearly every way, including speed (because to Google’s foundation) and possessing the engines of the majority of antivirus programs.
It also includes a free open API, URL filtering, a voting system where users may also remark, a multitude of language options, more information about the studied file, and many methods for uploading that file to VirusTotal (web, email, program expansions, work area programs, versatile applications).
2. Internxt
Internxt is one of the most effective and straightforward web-based virus scanning programs. You must visit their website, where you will see a dialog box to upload suspicious files, or you can simply drag and drop the file into the appropriate place. Internxt will then use its world-class mechanism to determine whether or not your file is corrupted.
In addition, you may upload files up to 1 GB in size, which is one of the website’s best features. More than one million users have entrusted Internxt with the protection of their files, and more than thirty prestigious institutions have honored their efforts with prizes and mentions.
In addition to being an online virus scanner, it also offers cloud storage and a safe and secure photo gallery where you may upload and preserve photos. It offers 10GB of free storage for life, and its prices range from € 0.99 per month for 20GB of storage to € 9.99 per month for 2TB of storage, which might be useful for large enterprises.
3. Opentip by Kaspersky
Kaspersky, a well-known company in the anti-virus business, has produced another online virus scanner called Opentip. This internet scanner makes the process of scanning files very straightforward. You must first upload your work to the section for analysis. Then, it will search with all the Kaspersky records of viruses and malware compiled with the assistance of Kaspersky’s vast customer base.
This online scanner allows you to upload and examine documents up to 256 MB in size. Additionally, it enables target files using IP addresses, hashes, or URLs. It’s a simple service, but you may be interested in it if you rely on Kaspersky antivirus and want to use it to scan your files without downloading or installing anything.
4. Jotti’s Malware Scan
Compared to other online virus scanner websites, Jotti’s user interface and design are extremely old. However, it is still capable of doing its duties admirably. It is completely open-source, so anyone can use it.
You can upload up to five files simultaneously, with a storage limit of 250 MB per slot. Although it appears simple, it is a useful scanner for inspecting sensitive documents, especially installers from third-party websites and executable files and applications, prior to installing them on your device.
In addition, it employs fourteen distinct antivirus applications to examine your file’s vulnerability report. Jotti’s Malware Scan utilizes numerous well-known scanners, including Avast, K-7, Bit Defender, and many others. In addition, the tool always utilizes the most recent versions of the aforementioned scanners. Remember that it shares all of your personal files with its antivirus scanning partners in order to increase accuracy.
5. Dr. Web
Dr. Web is one of the most superficial scanning websites on this list. But if you want things to be straightforward, this may be your best option. It can only support a single file with a maximum size of 10 MB. If you wish to review many files simultaneously, you must compress them into a single zip file and then upload it for evaluation.
After you have uploaded your file, you must click the transmit button. Then a window will appear, displaying the scan results as shown in the image above. You can also submit False Positive findings on their website if your file is falsely identified as containing a harmful virus. In addition, it offers an API that you may use to embed their service on your website for free.
6. MetaDefender Cloud
MetaDefender is a relatively user-friendly internet-based program that filters and dissects IP addresses, hashes, and documents. It closely resembles Jotti’s Malware Scan and VirusTotal. For scanning purposes, you need only transmit a file or provide an IP address.
One of its distinctive services is the analysis of questionable emails. You can forward any suspicious email for analysis to [email protected]. It will produce results that will assist you in determining whether or not to open the email.
Strangely, OPSWAT, the company that created MetaDefender, also provides reports on the most recent security-related events and news. You have exclusive access to malware outbreak reports and related data statistics. The website will scan the file you upload with more than 20 antivirus programs, including reputable brands such as Avira, McAfee, and BitDefender.
7. Hybrid Analysis
Hybrid Analysis is an excellent, cost-free internet software that filters for specific threats. It should be bookmarked in your browser and utilized prior to launching newly downloaded antivirus software.
You can upload documents up to 100 MB in size or insert the file path directly into the program window. Similarly, pasting a program link from your browser also works (to check without downloading it to your PC). It is now possible to determine whether a file is safe to download or not. Finally, you must click “Analyze.”
Hybrid Analysis improves this online malware scanning procedure. The majority of the online scanners included in this post scan your file with any antivirus program, including Avira, McAfee, Avast, and others.
In contrast, Hybrid Analysis submits your file to numerous web virus scanners, such as VirusTotal, MetaDefender, and others, which are more secure and safe. Additionally, IPs, domains, and hashes can be scanned with Hybrid Analysis.
Conclusion
Downloading the greatest antivirus software available is possible, but it will cost you money and disk space. If you merely want to scan a subset of your computer’s data, an online virus scanner is the ideal option to installing such software. Examining your computer’s files for malware and virus threats will aid in system security.
