USB drives are known carriers of viruses and malware. It can easily affect your PC while connecting to your PC. In other words, every time you plug a USB drive into your Windows machine, malware can attack. USB drives are prone to malware because of the Windows OS Autorun feature.
Most of us install an antivirus program on a Windows PC, but forget about the security of USB drives. Regular antivirus is good enough to protect your PC, but it cannot protect you from malware that attaches itself to USB drives. That’s why you need special USB security software.
USB drive protection tool also comes with many other features, but the main function of this application is to protect your PC from all kinds of viruses that can enter through the USB drive. If you are concerned about PC security, you should install USB security software in addition to the normal antivirus software.
This article provides you with some free USB security software and antivirus software that protect your Windows PC.
Free USB security software and antivirus programs.
USB security software automatically scans your USB drive when and when it is connected to your PC; it ensures that your PC is not affected by malware. There are several USB security tools available over the internet; we have collected some of the best applications, and these are:-
- Autorun remover
- Windows USB Blocking
- BitDefender USB-immunisator
- Panda USB vaccine
- KASHU USB Flash Security
- USB shutdown
- Phrozen Secure USB
- USB disk security.
Autorun remover
Autorun Deleter is free USB security software that disinfects and removes Autorun.inf virus. The Autorun.inf virus keeps coming after it is manually removed; therefore you need a special program to disinfect it. Autorun Deleter is a portable app and no installation is required.
Run this portable tool before connecting a USB drive to the PC. This freeware tool removes the infected file and modifies the Windows registry to make sure it doesn’t reappear.
Just run the Autorun Deleter program, connect the USB drive to the PC and click on the big icon to delete the autorun.inf virus. Once the software deletes the autorun.inf file, you will be informed that: You are done. To exit the application, click on the x.
Download Autorun Deleter
You can download the free Autorun Deleter app from here.
Windows USB Blocking
Windows USB Blocker is not actually an antivirus program, but protects you in other ways. It is a simple USB security software that allows you to block and unblock your USB port from access. Blocking and unblocking storage devices on any Windows system can now be done very easily and effectively with a Windows USB Blocker.
After downloading and installing the Windows USB Blocker, after running this tool, the USB port will be displayed unlocked UNBLOCKED.
To block all available USB ports on your Windows 10 PC, click the Block USB Port. It immediately blocks access from all USB ports.
After blocking with a single click, you can protect your PC from unauthorized access to data using the USB drive.
Download Windows USB Blocker
This freeware utility can be downloaded from the official website. It is compatible with Windows XP, 2003, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10.
BitDefender USB-immunisator
BitDefender USB Immunizer is another freeware tool to immunize both SD card and USB storage devices from unwanted crapware. The tool prevents malware from running its autorun.inf file on your PC. However, there is an option to enable or disable the autorun feature as desired. It should be remembered that if you accidentally use an infected USB drive without immunizing, it can infect your PC.
Download BitDefender USB Immunizer
BitDefender USB Immunizer is a free utility that is compatible with Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and Win 10. You can download it from its official website here.
Panda USB vaccine
As the name suggests, this tool also prevents malware infections on your computer systems. It differs from the other tools because it offers two types of vaccinations: USB Drive Vaccination and Computer Vaccination. It helps you to completely disable the autorun feature on Windows PCs so that no malware can penetrate through the infected USB storage devices.
Download Panda USB Vaccine
You can download the latest version of Panda USB Vaccine free utility from its official website here.
KASHU USB Flash Security
KASHU USB Flash Security is a free tool that allows you to password protect your USB device. The tool encrypts all your stored data on the device using the AES 256-bit encryption. Before encrypting your device, make sure to back up your data to format the USB drive.
Download KASHU USB Flash Security
You can download this free utility from here. Please note that the free version has limited support for up to 4 GB of USB devices.
USB shutdown
USB Disabler is a small but powerful program to enable or disable USB storage access on your Windows computer or laptop. This program comes with a simple interface that allows you to perform the following action:
- It can disable any USB storage/PenDrive access to your laptop or PC.
- You can set the read-only mode to USB storage / Pendrive, which means that no one can copy your personal documents through their removable storage.
- You can set everything back to Normal so that your own USB storage / Pendrive functions as usual.
Download USB Shutdown
You can download this free tool from the official website here. It is compatible with Windows 10/8//Vista/XP.
Phrozen Secure USB
Phrozen Safe USB has a similar function to the USB Disabler tool mentioned above. This tool offers three different ways to deal with USB drives:-
USB Devices Activated – In this mode, the USB port is open for all kinds of uses.
USB Devices Read Only – In this mode, the user can only read the contents of the USB device, but cannot modify, copy or delete the contents.
USB Devices Disabled – In this mode, the USB device is completely disabled and not even detected on your Windows PC. You can choose the first or second option depending on your need to read or write to the USB drive.
Download Phrozen Safe USB
Phrozen Safe USB is compatible with Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and Win 10. You can download the latest version of this free utility from here.
USB disk security
This free software features USB Shield, which checks your computer for unwanted program such as virus, USB Scan, etc. It scans your USB device when and when it is connected to the PC. This free utility, even password, protects the device, which encrypts the data stored on the device. It also prevents secure web browsing and data loss prevention from your USB device.
Download USB Disk Protection
You can download the latest version of USB Disk Security from here.