Free anti-ransomware utility, what would you recommend?

I think what you're seeing in the responses is on topic. Anti-ransomware is unlikely to protect you 100% and the results are so devastating that a good backup method is the answer.

You're right that backups are best practice for mitigating the damage of a ransomware attack. And, if my question was "How to I protect myself from ransomware?", all these responses would be applicable.

However, I've specifically asked for feedback from users of anti-ransomware software. Even with best practices, another layer of protection (beyond anti-virus) can be useful. It only takes one inadvertent click to accidentally release a ransomware attack. I'm looking for opinions on which anti-ransomware software is most effective.

none of them are the most effective. It all depends with the person on the computer, the software running on the computer, and the hardware. You can go to 10 different tech sites that have reviews and you will not one will agree with the order of the top 10 let alone the top three. In addition not one of them will be 100 percent effective because nothing will protect you from that one wrong click. Remember in most cases, clicking on any link or ad gives the computer permission to bypass all security on your computer.

One thing though, you ARE getting answers from users. sorry you do not like or don't understand the answers you are getting.

I put this on my most used machine to test it a couple of months ago. Most times I can spot a potential problem but knowing this will stop it before it gets too far is comforting. Ransomware is a real problem for companies these days since the hackers have graduated from individuals. I have backups and 4 other machines so I'm not totally done in when it ransomware strikes. When it does all you can really do is a multiple military spec delete on the hard drive, roll back the bios then update it, and hope it hasn't contaminated the memory.

Thanks, baggage1. RansomFree is the one I'm currently using. Initially, I didn't like that it had to be completely uninstalled to do upgrades, but that has been improved.

Memory is cleared on power off.

I have not used any of the products you asked about i.e Malwarebytes, BitDefender, and Cyberreason for Windows ,but I agree with you that unless folks HAVE used these , folks should not leave answers that aren't pertinent .
I'm sorry to have wasted your time by posting another Non-Answer , but I wanted you to know that there are others refraining from posting things we have no knowledge of.

John should read Jack

Thanks for the support, itsdigger. And you'd be surprised how many people think my "proper" name should be "John"

Thanks, gaucherre, I had not been aware of WinPatrol's product. Although it's not free, it doesn't seem to be too expensive. I'll have to check whether they have a free trial.

I have been using a free version of WinPatrol's Anti Ransomeware (WAR) for around six months and it's working well, catching everything suspicious and more. I say "and more" because it's a bit too aggressive perhaps, in that it pops up a warning when I launch some existing programs on my pc that I've used for a long time, but the warning popup includes the option to tell WAR that the application it's alerting me about is ok, intentional, and to allow it to "open next time".
I do a lot of graphic design and editing, so I have quite a few programs which I use only rarely. It was a bit annoying at the beginning, when doing some work, to launch a program or application twice, but once told the program is ok, and to "open next time", WAR "learns" and no longer pops up an alert about it, unless of course an update might have changed a given program so much that WAR sees it as new.

Thanks, ronc2. I hadn't had a chance yet to visit the WinPatrol website. If they have a free version of WAR, it may be worth checking out!

Many years ago, when ZoneAlarm was first introduced, I used to be fascinated by the frequency of interruptions, and how, over time, it "learned" what was acceptable. Your description of "WAR" reminds me of that. I stopped using ZoneAlarm when CheckPoint bought the product and started introducing feature bloat.

I use the paid version of WinPatrol WinAntiRansomware (WAR). In a recent update, they eliminated the extemely annoying "Accept next time" button, so now you can accept a program and it will run right away.

I have been a supporter of Avast for many years, recommending it to many of my personal clients. Despite it not being the most effective free product (historically through AV-comparatives), I appreciate that it is not as aggressive as other products in terms of suggesting that free users buy a license.

I have to say I was disappointed with the removal of your remote assistance option, but that's water under the bridge. I haven't read about CyberCapture very closely, so I'll have to give that a look.

We appreciate your support Check out Behavior Shield also. Here's a great article that explains the new features of the 2017 version:

https://blog.avast.com/the-core-security-components-of-avast-2017

I have seen other mentions regarding the remote assistance feature and will make sure to pass this on to the developers and our product teams. Thanks for your feedback!!

Is too difficult to find using old obsolete definitions. Avast doesn't always get high marks, just because it may not immediately find malware in the app-data or temporary files because the criminal coders are getting smarter, and they put them to sleep to act as a ticking time bomb waiting for an opportunity to strike. I think it is really unfair how Avast has been treated in the test agencies because of this, when it is almost 100% effective at catching any malware(virus) that does actually attempt to activate and do malicious things to your PC system. This has always been the case, and I found in my honey pot lab, that very few of the paid for anti-virus suites can beat even the free version of Avast. I am not a paid shill for Alwil software, and an only a promoter of safe computing for my clients, who are almost all indigent and cannot afford to buy anything to protect their computer, and in fact a lucky they can afford a computer and network at all.

Good article. I would call it an analysis - not a review. The method described is almost security by obscurity since ransomware could be designed to avoid honeypots. Thanks!

I think I like the free Cryptoprevent better - also introduced on bleepingcomputer some time ago. It is pretty hard to get past the MMC if malware try to circumvent the rules. A guy could go and get snap-ins from Microsoft and write a lot of the hundred or so rules to do this himself. but I'd rather just download the free one! This is pretty powerful stuff and turns the operating system into a rampart against attack

I'm definitely going to look that one up. As an aside, I see that Ransomware has updated itself today - coincidence?

I meant RansomFree has updated today - LOL!

Thanks. That's what I'm using now.

I hate that Microsoft has been forcing updates. Creator's Edition is a mixed bag...

Although I'm leery of updating, this edition restores your ability to block future updates. I'm trying to put off the update for as long as possible.