Advice Request Can several anti-ransomware programs be used at the same time?

[alakazam]

Can several anti-ransomware programs be used on the same computer at the same time? If I wanted to install Acronis Anti-Ransomware, ZoneAlarm Anti-Ransomware, RansomOff, AppCheck Anti-Ransomware, CyberSight Anti-Ransomware and Hitman Pro Alert on the same Windows 10 PC, would they conflict with each other?

 

[bribon77]

There is no reason to use so many anti-Ransomware programs. It could have conflicts and it is also an extreme use of CPU and RAM and DISK. choose one and it will be enough

( If you want your PC, I do not advise you to do that.)

 

[roger_m]

Rather than installing so many programs (which as mentioned can slowdown your system and won't guarantee you will be protected), be very careful about what files you open. It doesn't matter if you receive an email with an infected document as an attachment, if you don't open the attachment.

Also, make sure you keep regualr backups of your system. If you take some care, you probably won't get infected. But if you do, you wil have a backup of your encrypted files, you can restore from.

 

[RoboMan]

Aforementioned, the more real-time protection tools you have, the slowest your system will be. Even more when these are scanning the very same file you're trying to open. Not to mention the potential false positive and conflicts between each other.

Try to follow @roger_m advice and be careful. Maybe install an anti-executable just to be sure.

 

[shmu26]

Ransomware is not a major threat for home users anymore, and anyways, all you need is a good backup plan and you are protected.
The only situation where ransomware is a major threat for home users is when they download cracks, and they will turn off their security to run the crack, so even 5 or 10 anti-ransomware programs won't help you there.
As other posters said, general antimalware protection is what you need.

 

[RodM1956]

Well I'm trying something new starting yesterday.

I combined Thor Premium, with Webroot SecureAnywhere IS....

And it's even made my PC more responsive than Panda +Webroot, or Cylance+Webroot.

 

[Ink]

You only need ONE working anti-ransomware and proper backup of your data. Why do you need 10 Anti-Ransomware software? Cannot control your Mouse clicks? Run everything in a Sandbox. Don't use Windows.

 

[alakazam]

You only need ONE working anti-ransomware and proper backup of your data.

What does proper backup of my data mean? Why do I have to invest in external hard drives? They are expensive.

 

[Digmor Crusher]

It means that if you make backups regularly then you don't have to worry about ransomware, it you get hit all you have to do is restore a back-up, also works well for anything else that may bork your machine such as a failed Windows update. Hard drives aren't that expensive, you should be able to find a 1TB drive for under $70.00 easily. Actually, backups should be your first line of defense, 2 good programs are Macrium Reflect or Aomei, both free.

 

[alakazam]

Hard drives aren't that expensive, you should be able to find a 1TB drive for under $70.00 easily.

$70 is a lot of money when you don't have a job.

 

[Andrew999]

Can several anti-ransomware programs be used on the same computer at the same time? If I wanted to install Acronis Anti-Ransomware, ZoneAlarm Anti-Ransomware, RansomOff, AppCheck Anti-Ransomware, CyberSight Anti-Ransomware and Hitman Pro Alert on the same Windows 10 PC, would they conflict with each other?

I recommend Appcheck Anti-Ransomware I have been using it for about over a year and it works great. I wouldn't recommend using more than 1 Anti Ransomware product at 1 time though. You could use it alongside an Antivirus. I personally use it with NANO Antivirus.

 

[conceptualclarity]

CryptoPrevent is a program you can use alongside other programs. Its current version is no longer free, but I believe you can still download the last free version.

 

[Ink]

What does proper backup of my data mean? Why do I have to invest in external hard drives? They are expensive.

@Digmor Crusher explained it well.
There many free Backup and Recovery software, as well as sync clients and Windows Backup. But the most simple one is to copy and paste between Internal and External HDD.

Seagate Portable HDD - 2TB ($59.99)
Link: https://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Portable-External-Drive-STGX2000400/dp/B07CRG94G3/
Check online stores for returns policy.

$70 is a lot of money when you don't have a job.

Perhaps, but so is buying multiple licensed software. See below.

Here is a simple table showing potential costs of both FREE and LICENSED software listed from your initial post.

Product	Is it Free?	Minimum Fee	License Fee (1 Yr / 1 PC)	References (Region: US)
Acronis Anti-Ransomware	Y	$0.00	$49.99	https://www.acronis.com/en-us/ransomware-protection/ https://www.acronis.com/en-us/personal/buy-backup/
ZoneAlarm Anti-Ransomware	N	$14.95	$14.95	https://www.zonealarm.com/anti-ransomware/
RansomOff	Y	$0.00	$0.00	https://www.ransomoff.com/
AppCheck Anti-Ransomware	Y	$0.00	$40.00	https://www.checkmal.com/product/appcheck/
CyberSight Anti-Ransomware	Y	$0.00	$0.00	https://cybersight.com/products/free-home-personal/
HitmanPro.Alert	N	$34.95	$34.95	https://www.hitmanpro.com/en-us/alert.aspx
OVERALL COSTS		$49.90	$139.89	You are looking to spend* anywhere from $50 to $140 per year for Ransomware Protection alone. Licensed software may include other benefits.

*PIRATING SOFTWARE IS ILLEGAL, REGARDLESS OF YOUR CURRENT FINANCIAL SITUATION.

 

[Dave Russo]

If you have Acronis true image with its built in active protection,plus Windows Defender with either Voodoshield or SecureAplus,you are really well protected. Backup is your best defense

 

[LDogg]

If you're that worried about Ransomware, make sure you have excellent backup methodologies to use. This way you can be sure if you get infected by ransomware you know what course of action to take. Make sure you have a plan in place and do monthly routines so you're well prepared ahead of time, I wouldn't be stating this if you this wasn't the question title of the thread.

Also you're more than likely to be less of a target of ransomware compared to small to large companies, keep this in mind and always employ logical browsing habits.

~LDogg

 

[alakazam]

Everyone recommending me to install backup software and buy external hard drives is off topic. This thread is about whether several anti-ransomware programs can be use simultaneously. I respect your perspective, but I disagree with it because it is not feasible when you work with files that are updated several times a day. Say you're a writer and have several Word files containing several short stories, poems and novels you're working on or translating from other languages. You don't work on them continuously cause of other life issues. You work for a couple of hours in the morning, a couple of hours in the afternoon and sometimes late at night. What are you going to do? Constantly take backups of your writings folders several times a day? It seems like a tedious task. What happens if you forget to make a backup one day and your PC gets infected by ransomware? You lose 10 pages of writing. But with a good anti-ransomware protection, you don't. And that's just with writing. Imagine you're a YouTuber and have to film and edit daily videos. Or a photographer and have to constantly edit photos from the clients' USB sticks. You'd get so confused trying to juggle between daily backups from one hard drive to another.

 

[Threadripper]

Using multiple at the same time, like full fledged anti malware solutions, would do more harm than good in a ransomware attack - and that's if we disregard other issues and conflictions they may have without any ransomware. Use a good cloud service like Sync.com which is encrypted, or if you want lots of storage and privacy isn't your largest concern then go with Dropbox (I remember some of these having file rollback options - perfect for ransomware as well as having them closed and not syncing when you don't need to them).

Of course good habits, system hardening and an anti malware solution of your choice will go a long way (dedicated anti ransomware module or not).

 

[Ink]

Everyone recommending me to install backup software and buy external hard drives is off topic. This thread is about whether several anti-ransomware programs can be use simultaneously.

Most of the responses will be the same as to "Can I run 7 Internet Security suites software in real-time?", or "Can I use 3 Ad-Blockers?", or "Can I drive a car at 60mph, whilst changing one of the tyres?".

I don't view the responses as off-topic, since they are suggestions of a better solution - for the majority of people with a PC.

Why not use a Cloud backup service such as the one built-in to Windows; OneDrive? It does everything, so you don't have to.

If you use Office 365 for word processing, it's Auto-Save function will automatically save the files to OneDrive cloud and the local sync'd OneDrive folder on the PC.

Anyway, let us know how it goes with install all the Anti-Ransomware software. Did you get any conflicts? Do they slow down your PC? Which Anti-Ransomware is your favourite? Pro's and Con's of each. Thanks.

 

[plat]

OP: I don't believe in dedicated anti-ransomware but if I had to choose just one, it would be AppCheck. I ran it a couple of years ago, a nice and elegant little software. Free versions may not have complete folder coverage, so read the website descriptions first--you may be covering the same stuff too many times and neglecting others that need protection also. "Offline" trumps antiransomware--every time. It's not off-topic to maybe burn a few calories to get out of your chair, plug in your storage drive, drag and drop, then unplug for the sake of preserving your important docs. If you have a PC, you could more easily plug/unplug your internal storage (not your boot drive) from your motherboard--I've done so in the past.

If you can find an unused hard drive or if your friends or neighbors have one in good condition, grab it!

 

[DeepWeb]

I'm joining the others in saying, there is no need for dedicated anti-ransomware. AVs now detect all the ransomware that is out there. If you want true anti-ransomware, Windows update. Always be on the latest version of Windows. Microsoft is putting a lot of effort into hardening the kernel, OS and policies so that ransomware can't even run in the first place.