The Cleaner

Type of Program: Security/Trojan Cleaner
Supported Platforms: Win 95/98/2000/NT4 Workstation or server
Company Name: MooSoft Development
Version: 3.0
Price: $29.95 ($10. if you are upgrading from a registered 2.0 version)
Installed Size: 364KB

Download/Homepage

When I reviewed the previous version of The Cleaner I said..."Trojans are out there! Trojans steal passwords, make your computer into a server, destroy files, use your mailing list to spread their infections, some can even control your machine and are capable of listening to conversations in the room in which your computer sits. The Cleaner hunts them down."

It's still all true!!! and so is this... You can be running the most updated of virus-checkers... and a trojan will slip by them. I should know... I have a NetBus infestation. And... I have not one but three updated virus-checkers and it got past them all. I will NEVER, EVER turn off The Cleaner again...!!!

This new version is a classy upgrade to version 2... and easy to use. It can sit in your task bar and monitor your files... and will instantly tell you if a trojan is active... you can then opt to destroy or rename the file. It will scan the drives of your choice or you can have it look at a single file. It will also look into compressed files for you! Updates are automatic... just sign onto the net, open The Cleaner and hit the "Update" button.

Trust me, NetBus and Back Orifice are being re-vamped continuously... there are at least five incarnations of Netbus currently recorded. If you think your virus-checker developer has the time to deal with all viruses AND all trojans... you are wrong, they lag. You are only running a VIRUS checker that has some defense against trojans. This program ONLY deals with Trojans... There are 981 virus definitions in the current version. Check out the evaluation copy for thirty days and see if you don't agree that this program is a valuable security measure. You need your virus checker AND this program.

Also, a fellow Junkie Reviewer (Thanks, Simon Baillie!) wrote to tell me how much he likes this program... The Cleaner picked up a Back Orifice attempt on his computer and removed it immediately!

Defend yourself!!! 

Hint: By design, trojans come to you packaged as something else. (I got NetBus downloading a business document.) Look at the file size of anything you are about to download... if the download is bigger than announced... you may have a trojan included! DO NOT OPEN IT... contact the developer/sender for a list of included files and their sizes.

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Reviewed by Marilynne Isaacs

Purchase Information: The Cleaner can be purchased online (all major credit cards and Microsoft Wallet) or by snail mail (cash, check, money order) but you need to supply an online email address for them to send the registration number.

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