The reason I’m writing this is because I saw the review on The Windows Club and wanted to add my two cents to Ankit Gupta’s review.
This is NOT an “instead of” app. This will not replace your current AV software.
But no AV software is perfect, even if you’re an exemplary user of the internet, with great browsing habits (you do use a guest account to browse, right?) is perfect. The AV test results themselves show that.
So…if something sneaks by what do you do. You should have layered protection, but not even that’s perfect. One good thing to have is (believe it or not) is WinPatrol, which won’t let non pre-approved exe files run without your approval.
ProtectU will detect malware hiding on your computer. It will also remove it. It’s small (19.4 MB) and free. It updates itself, but the method was not discussed. I mention this because that is a possible source of software and security compromise.
In the review I read, nothing was mentioned about the app generating a list of ‘questionable’ apps/files, and the subsequent ability to ‘whitelist’ or not. For that reason, I emailed the devs and am awaiting an answer to that question. It could be that the reviewer checked it on a clean machine, and for that reason subsequent menus weren’t opened by the app. Ankit Gupta is a reputable and good reviewer. I wanted to email him to ask questions, but found no link to do so.
You can read his review here: http://www.thewindowsclub.com/protectu-malware-detection-software
So, I don’t recommend installing the app at this point, and won’t until my question is answered by the devs. I’d guess the app screens files and compares them to a list in the cloud or on a server. That carries its own risks, of course, both involving false positives and negatives, especially if crowd based. The reviewer didn’t discuss just how it did its job.
If you decide to install it, make very sure to create a restore point before doing so. If you haven’t made this week’s backup, do so before installing the software. If the software finds malware, the backup can always be discarded. During installation, pay attention to any choices you might have to make. Ankit Gupta wrote that installation was simple, but again, that could mean a number of things.
Or…you could wait for me to update this post after the devs reply to my email.
Website: https://protectuapp.github.io/web/
Source: http://www.thewindowsclub.com/protectu-malware-detection-software