Anyone who has used this program called AppCheck? Can you please provide any feedback about its protection?
Last edited:
Has anybody at MT used CheckMal AntiRansomware and can provide any feedback?
- Thread starter devjitdutta2025
- Start date
Please provide comments and solutions that are helpful to the author of this topic.
I can’t claim personal “used it myself” experience (I’m an AI), but AppCheck is fairly well-known here as a dedicated anti-ransomware layer, and there’s enough vendor documentation + community discussion to give a practical picture of what it does and what to expect. ([checkmal.com](https://www.checkmal.com/?utm_source=openai))
What AppCheck is (in plain terms) ([checkmal.com](https://www.checkmal.com/?utm_source=openai))
- It’s primarily an anti-ransomware product that focuses on behavioral / “signatureless” detection (i.e., it’s not just looking for known hashes/signatures). ([checkmal.com](https://www.checkmal.com/?utm_source=openai))
- It also includes extra hardening modules (notably “Exploit Guard”) meant to block exploit-style infection chains in common apps (browsers/plugins/media players/Office). ([checkmal.com](https://www.checkmal.com/manual/detail/?utm_source=openai))
- There’s also boot-record protection (MBR/GPT) to help prevent certain destructive attacks that target disk boot structures. ([checkmal.com](https://www.checkmal.com/manual/detail/?utm_source=openai))
Free vs Pro: what matters for “protection” ([checkmal.com](https://www.checkmal.com/manual/detail/?utm_source=openai))
Based on the vendor’s manual, a key difference is that AppCheck Free will block/stop the process on ransomware-like behavior, while Pro adds removal/cleanup capabilities. ([checkmal.com](https://www.checkmal.com/manual/detail/?utm_source=openai))
Also, “Network drive protection” is described as a Pro feature (relevant if the PC has mapped drives / shared folders to protect from encryption attempts). ([checkmal.com](https://www.checkmal.com/manual/detail/?utm_source=openai))
Because features can vary by version/edition over time, it’s worth checking the current feature list on the official site/manual rather than relying on older reviews alone. ([checkmal.com](https://www.checkmal.com/?utm_source=openai))
Realistic strengths (and realistic limitations) ([techradar.com](https://www.techradar.com/reviews/appcheck-free?utm_source=openai))
- Strength: Behavioral ransomware protection can catch some “new” or modified ransomware families that traditional signatures might miss. ([techradar.com](https://www.techradar.com/reviews/appcheck-free?utm_source=openai))
- Strength: It’s aimed at “damage control” too (tracking file changes / helping recovery after suspicious encryption activity), not only prevention. ([techradar.com](https://www.techradar.com/reviews/appcheck-free?utm_source=openai))
- Limitation: Any behavior-based anti-ransomware can still allow some file damage before it’s confident enough to trigger (even good ones). Backups are still mandatory. ([techradar.com](https://www.techradar.com/reviews/appcheck-free?utm_source=openai))
- Limitation: It’s not a full replacement for a mainstream AV/EDR. Think of it as an additional layer, not the whole security stack.
- Limitation: “Exploit protection” modules can sometimes cause false positives or app compatibility issues, depending on what you run (common for this category of tool). ([checkmal.com](https://www.checkmal.com/manual/detail/?utm_source=openai))
What MalwareTips members have said (high-level) ([malwaretips.com](https://malwaretips.com/threads/appcheck-anti-ransomware.76960/?utm_source=openai))
There are multiple MalwareTips threads on AppCheck, including a longer discussion thread and a review thread. Feedback is mixed in the normal way (some users report they like it as a lightweight extra layer; others focus on feature questions/compatibility), but it’s not some unknown “mystery” product—it’s been discussed for years here. ([malwaretips.com](https://malwaretips.com/threads/appcheck-anti-ransomware.76960/?utm_source=openai))
Practical guidance if you’re considering it
- Keep your main antivirus enabled (e.g., Microsoft Defender or another reputable AV) and treat AppCheck as an add-on layer, not the primary.
- If you use other behavior blockers / exploit protection (some AV suites include this), watch for overlap and potential conflicts; be ready to use AppCheck’s whitelist if needed. ([checkmal.com](https://www.checkmal.com/manual/detail/?utm_source=openai))
- Regardless of AppCheck, keep offline/immutable backups (ransomware defenses are never a 100% guarantee in the real world).
Sources
Thank you bot. It was of great help to me. One of my close friends suffered a bad ransomeware attack today and lost all his pictures which he had saved including his pics from his childhood. The recent pics were saved in his google photos but he lost all the old ones with his parents (who are sadly no more today). He is utterly devastated and I’m trying to console him and reinstall his OS again. It once again highlights the fact that only a backup and some security knowledge can save you from such disaster. Never ever plug in your external hdd inside a PC infected with ransomware.
Sad for your friend to loose emotional valuable images.
Yes, I used it in the past. It has a free version and a paid one. It is not a cure-all anti-malware but works fine. When I recall right it also killed programs trying to write or change a lot of files (so you might loose a few documents or images before the behavioral protection kicked in).
Yes, I used it in the past. It has a free version and a paid one. It is not a cure-all anti-malware but works fine. When I recall right it also killed programs trying to write or change a lot of files (so you might loose a few documents or images before the behavioral protection kicked in).
He’s not tech savvy at all…Windows 10 with Defender default.
I don’t remember that because I strongly advised him not to use the PC anymore till I fixed it up. I secure erased his entire SSD and installed Windows 11 with MD(max settings using CD) & WF set to block lolbins using FH tool. I disabled PS & WSH as well as elevation of unsigned executables (using SWH). Bought him an external HDD as well and told him to use it only for backup and to keep it offline (not connected to the PC). I’ve manually enabled SAC after the install. I don’t know if Windows 10 has SAC or not.
I wouldn't recommend the pro version for Kaspersky users. Kaspersky restores files on your computer in the event of a ransomware attack.Actually, Kaspersky doesn't want any other security programs alongside it.It only works well with keyscrambler.
I haven't tried AppCheck against RW for years, but they update their soft quite regularly, and try to keep up with the latest threats.
Of course, no single solution will ever be enough, but paired with a decent AV and some caution it should shine.
I had it combined with F-Secure and K7 in the past, it should be compatible to most AV though.
It does not slow down the machine noticeable IMO, and the free version offers more than enough to not consider paying for it.
Highly recommended as add on IMO.
Of course, no single solution will ever be enough, but paired with a decent AV and some caution it should shine.
I had it combined with F-Secure and K7 in the past, it should be compatible to most AV though.
It does not slow down the machine noticeable IMO, and the free version offers more than enough to not consider paying for it.
Highly recommended as add on IMO.
You don’t need any other software with Kaspersky. Last time I used it, it worked great with KeyScrambler & CyberLock.
Ransomware often encrypts only the beginning of a file, approximately the first 150 KB. The rest of the data remains unencrypted. In the case of JPEGs, this unencrypted data can be restored to the original photo, but the top portion of the photo will be missing. If you haven't yet deleted the encrypted photos, if you post one, I can tell you whether it can be recovered.
I have used both paid & free versions with no problems in the past, but I'm not sure that it is needed if you have a reputable AV installed.
I have used it in the past on sisters laptop and my own laptop, because of malwarebytes anti-exploit is discontinued. Its very light and you dont even see that you have it installed at all.
Appcheck has scan feature for many stuff
I dont know if it still exist in newest version but @Shadowra or anyone else could run it on infected system?
Appcheck has scan feature for many stuff
I dont know if it still exist in newest version but @Shadowra or anyone else could run it on infected system?
You may also like...
-
LibreOffice calls out EU officials for using Microsoft Excel, ignoring ODF- Started by Parkinsond
- Replies: 29
-
DNotepad and Paint updates begin rolling out to Windows Insiders
- Started by Donna Little
- Replies: 5
-
DCopilot on Windows: New text editing feature begins rolling out to Windows Insiders
- Started by Donna Little
- Replies: 0
-
S
-
ACopilot on Windows: Vision with text input begins rolling out to Windows Insiders
- Started by Amanda Langowski
- Replies: 0