There is no perfect security software on the market. If you look at reviews and tests of security software you may notice that the tests come to the conclusion that security software a manages to eliminate or stop 99.9% of all malware and spam. Guess what, that means that every 1000th attack slips right through the defenses.
What’s the best way to protect the system then? Making sure that security solutions stack up to protect the system, and of course to avoid unnecessary risks on the Internet.
Hitman Pro is a program that comes into play when you want to test that defense, or suspect that your computer has been infected with malicious software but your regular antivirus solution cannot find it. Even better, Hitman Pro is compatible with any security solution already installed which cannot be said automatically for running two antivirus apps side by side.
Hitman Pro Review
Hitman Pro offers two options during installation. It is possible to install the program normally on the PC to use it on a regular basis or perform a one-time scan of the system that does not require installation at all. Very handy to quickly check an already infected system.
Hitman Pro does not run in the background all the time even if it is installed. The security software runs a scan of the system, reports the results and closes down after everything has been handled. The scan itself takes a few minutes the most, depending on the speed of the hard drive and the overall performance of the computer. A typical scan on my fast solid state drive took less than a minute to complete.
Hitman Pro combines a behavioral scan with cloud computing. Suspicious programs found during the scan are automatically submitted to the cloud where they are tested with five different antivirus engines. The engines used are
by the companies Dr.Web, Ikarus, Emsisoft, Prevx and G Data.
The cloud then reports back to the computer with the results of the scan. Hitman Pro can remove viruses and other malicious software from the system. Each item and the user’s action is recorded in the History with options to remove them completely or restore them if needed.
The program is super-easy to use, simplicity by design one could say. The first screen offers to perform a scan, close the program or open the settings. A quick scan and standard scan is available, and a click on the little down icon next to the Next button will reveal the selection.
The settings can be used to configure some aspects of the program. Here it is possible to configure a daily scan on computer startup (postponed until the hard disk activity nears the idle state), enable a Scan with Hitman Pro entry in Windows Explorer, configure connection and proxy settings and enter the license code if the program has been purchased or won.
The Hitman Pro download weights in under 7 Megabytes which is small compared to other antivirus solutions which nowadays come near or over of 100 Megabytes easily.
But how does Hitman Pro handle infections in detail? That depends on the infected file. Non-critical files that are infected are marked for deletion right away, while critical files like core Windows files are handled differently.
First, Hitman Pro tries to find an uninfected copy of the file on the system. If it finds one it exchanges the file with the infected one on reboot and cleans the infected file from the system. If no safe copy of an infected file is found Hitman Pro asks the user to insert a Windows CD or DVD to replace it. This means you will never end up with a non-booting copy of Windows because a core system file has been removed by the antivirus solution.
When the file is classified as malicious by the Scan Cloud, the Hitman Pro client is placing the infection into quarantine. Various techniques ensure that all infections are completely removed without false positives.
Close handles (e.g. unload DLL from winlogon)
Close processes (e.g. winlogon stays)
Remove object from disk
Schedule object removal using PendingFileRenameOperations
Remove references like shortcuts and registry entries
Restore standard registry keys to default values (e.g. Userinit)
Disable service drivers
Deploy native NT bootdelete to remove resilient disk objects
After reboot retry removal and rescan to ensure complete removalWhite Listing
It is a huge problem when anti virus programs remove legitmate files from the computer (false positives). Especially in the case of Windows system files, it could lead to parts of the computer to malfunction. Most anti virus vendors have experience with such a horror scenario. To prevent this, Hitman Pro 3 contains a large white list with “Hashes” of these legitimate files. Hitman Pro 3 has a white list of standard installations of Windows 2000 to Windows 7, Office 2000 to 2007 and all updates and services packs.
Hitman Pro Video Review
Hitman Pro Verdict
Everyone can use Hitman Pro. That’s excellent, especially combined with the fact that the application can be run without having to be installed first. It is ideal for those cases where a family member of friend calls you to help with a virus infection on a computer.
Hitman Pro offers additional security next to standard antivirus software that runs all the time on the computer system. The software is lightweight and uses five different antivirus engines to verify suspicious files in the cloud.
The “second opinion malware scanner” is available as a 32-bit and 64-bit edition for Windows operating systems. It supports all Windows versions from Windows XP up to Windows 7.
Hitman Pro Giveaway
We have ten Hitman Pro licenses to giveaway. Please post your current security setup in the comments for a chance to win one of the licenses. Users who want to test their system right away with Hitman Pro can download a fully functional version from here.
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AVG Internet Security 2011 Review And Giveaway [Ghacks Christmas Giveaway]
360Amigo System Speedup Review And Giveaway [Ghacks Christmas Giveaway]
Sandboxie Review And Giveaway [Ghacks Christmas Giveaway]
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I am running Avira with a comodo firewall and would love to have one of these licesnses…Thanks
Currently I have no protection so I would be interested in a license..
Eset nod 32 antivirus, trojan remover and firewall in main router.
Running Avast Internet Security 5 with Zemana Antilogger
at home I’m using MSE and SuperAntiSpyware
at my small business ESET antivirus and a firewall on the router
Hitman Pro would be a nice addition to check systems from time to time
a standard scan completed in about a minute on my system loaded with applications, so it is fast
thanks
Currently using :
At home : Avast Free + Malwarebytes Free + KeyScrambler Personal + Custom host file
At Office : Avira Free + Spybot S&D
Hope I’m one of the lucky winners. Thanks Ghacks
My current security setup is Avast free, and comodo firewall which is also free soft, I like to win one
Thanks
Kaspersky IS
I use vipre anti-virus primium from sunbelt.
Hi,
At Home i use: Norton Internet Security 2011 + Virus Total Uploader
At Work: Symantec Endpoint Protection + Virus Total Uploader
Thanks!
Since security programs currently use NOD 32 AV 4, Outpost FW Pro 7 and for occasional scanning systems MBAM Free.
Hitman Pro would be a very nice addition to check system from time to time.
Thanks for giveaway
I’m currently using only symantec (an older version)
Ray
First of all my home network is behind a dedicated firewall server (http://www.smoothwall.org/). Considering the logs having it is really a big help and recommended for everyone.
On my windows machines I’ve been using BitDefender for years now. Haven’t had a breach for that long too.
On my linux machines I use ClamAV. No breaches there either.
Last, I keep security in mind whatever I do on a computer. And I try to teach that to the rest of my family too.
Yes please.
I use Comodo Internet Security Premium 5
Thanks
Eset Nod 32 AV 4 + SpyShelter free + WOT
Thanks for giveaway
Currently I use Online Armor Firewall pro and Brain.exe ;-)
Greetings
I’m using Antivir for virus protection and Malwarebyte to clean spyware.
I would like to use hitman pro to find out is there any security threat was missed from my current protection.
Using Avira + sandboxie now.
Bya.
MSE + Comodo fw + MBAM free…Hitman Pro will be very useful addition !
My security setup: XP Home SP3 (fully patched) Real-time: Avast free /Online Armor/SAS Pro and Win Patrol plus. On-demand: Malwarebytes anti-malware free version, Hitman pro trial
If u find multiple posts by me, pls delete them as I kept getting error while posting comment
Hi,
Thanks for the Giveaway :)
my current Security Set up
Avira + Comodo FW
please count me in.
I use Comodo Internet security and Mamutu. Thanks for giveaway
Actually, I don’t really need real-time scanner, because I know how to use computers safely, to avoid viruses, for that, I just needed on-demand scanner like Hitman. And currently I’m using Hitman (free) since about 1 years ago. The combination of Dr.Web, Ikarus, Emsisoft, Prevx and G Data makes my computer safe, until now, even for Stuxnet worm which are widespread. So far so good ;)
My seciurity setup
Sandboxie + Mbam ( on demand )
Just the McAfee anti virus which I don’t trust at all.. This will be very useful addition for security.. Hope I win..
I use ESET. Hook me up!
I use McAfee only.. This would be useful for the security..
Currently i use Norton Internet Security 2011, along with Malwarebytes Anti Malware for in-frequent on demand scans. Sometimes i use SuperAntiSpyware for the occasional reassurance that i’m secure.
But i would love to get a license for Hitman Pro, i’ve seen this before and was interested by the concept of a cloud scanner that used multiple AV engines, especially those of Emsisoft and G Data, which are generally very accurate.
Thankyou
Conn
I use the Norton Internet Security demo version.