BugHunter
Review date:	August 31, 2006
Version reviewed:	1.9.2 (see Updates below)
NOTE: the review only pertains to the version/date mentioned above. Subsequent versions could be quite different from the reviewed version.
Review:

BugHunter is an antispyware tool to assist in finding and removing malicious software, often called "malware" (some browser & desktop hi jacking programs, including keyloggers, adware modules, spyware modules, trojans & dialers).

This is a tiny DOS utility that scans your computer and reports, and/or removes, instances of malware. You can use this program within Windows but, occasionally, it cannot remove some malware without being used in DOS. You can put it in a bootable floppy disk (or CD) and launch it from pure DOS, but normally it can be used from within Windows (up to and including Windows XP) to track down and delete or rename the vast majority of malware.

BugHunter works from a list of over 1,000 malicious files (EXE files, VB files, OCX, files, DLL files, etc) and the author has promised to update that list regularly. Of course, if a malware file isn't on the list it won't get flagged but it will still get all the ones that are on the list.

Scanning is not fast and you can expect to be waiting some 15 minutes while it scans your computer (time depends on how many files it has to check).

The opening screen (a DOS box under Windows) offers a choice of 4 options – scan for malware only, scan for malware and rename it, scan for malware and remove it, and exit. Make your choice by typing in the appropriate letter (A, B, C or Q).

Initially we just scanned our system using BugHunter and 27 malware files were found. We believe that these were simply left over DLLs from previous programs which were removed from the computer and they were not active (there was no program to launch them). This initial scan did not name these 27 files, and the scan took just over 11 minutes.

We then went to option C on the list, scan and remove, and it reported that 27 files were found, and 27 were deleted. This second scan took just over 9 minutes.

BugHunter is an excellent tool and one that all Internet users with PCs should run regularly. We were disappointed that it did not name the "suspect" files, or that it did not give us the option of deleting some and not others.

It would have been easy to include a Pause with an instruction to wait for the user to either skip, delete or rename the file before proceeding. This places the control back in the hands of the user and, if there is any question about a suspect file, its name could be searched through the Internet (Googled) to see what was written about it. Alternatively you can simply do a scan and then check the logfile for the files targeted.

BugHunter is a "must have" for all PC users.

Grab a copy now!

Note: even though this is a DOS program, it is suitable for Windows 3.1, Windows 3.11, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME and Windows XP (and possibly later versions too).

Update:

December 13, 2006

BugHunter has been updated to version 1.9.4.

The author says that the entire searching system has been changed since v1.9.2, with many bugs fixed, GUI changes, and even faster scanning!

A new option has been included that allows you to select what happens to files detected as malware on a case by case basis.

Even though this is a DOS program, it is suitable for all versions of Windows up to and including Windows XP.

Update:

January 18, 2007

BugHunter has been updated to version 2.1.

The author advises that changes in this version includes a completely redesigned Engine with a very expandable database. It has a new GUI layout, enhanced features, bug fixes, lots and lots of new signatures, documentation updates, FAQ updates, and many code fixes. It can now identify malware by name.

The authors says that this version "contains both of the features the original reviewer had commented about. The ability to select what happens to detected malware, and the ability for BugHunter to identify it... The GUI layout has changed as well."

Update:

June 6, 2007

BugHunter has been updated to version 2.2c.

The author advises that changes in this version include: documentation updates; several bugs fixed; more information is available on screen; scans for many more files now; naming identification system has been improved; the logfile layout has been changed for improved readability; and additional software & instructions are now provided for dealing with stubborn memory resident malware.

Screenshots (fullsize):

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