McAfee Stinger Removes Hard-to-Tackle Malware and Pesky Fake-Alert Programs [Downloads]

By Erica Ho, LifehackerMarch 26, 2010 at 03:30PM

McAfee Stinger Removes Hard-to-Tackle Malware and Pesky Fake-Alert ProgramsWindows only: McAfee Stinger banishes malware from your Windows PC, including those hard-to-get fake alert programs and their variants. The last thing anyone needs is malware masquerading as helpful.

Fake alert programs are always nasty little buggers to remove. We recently examined how to remove XP AntiSpyware, one such piece of malware, by going into the Windows registry and using Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. While it doesn’t appear to support that particular piece of malware, McAfee’s Stinger is another free alternative that aims to do the job for several other fake security malware a bit more easily.

McAfee Stinger Removes Hard-to-Tackle Malware and Pesky Fake-Alert ProgramsThe program is pretty straightforward, and comes with a list of malware that it can remove without too much effort. It sports basic options to tweak sensitivity, including what and where to scan. Windows XP and Vista users should note that they might have to disable System Restore to use it.

McAfee Stinger is available as a free download for Windows only.