USB Virus Protection

Below are 10 free tools helpful for protecting, scanning or cleaning pendrives / USB sticks. Some are USB-specific utilities; others are portable scanners or rescue disks that work well with removable media. Always review each tool’s page and use safely.

USB Guardian

Windows — Free

Lightweight tool focused on blocking autorun-based USB worms and scanning removable drives when inserted.

Visit USB Guardian

USB Virus Remover

Windows — Free

Portable cleaner for autorun.inf, shortcut (.lnk) and similar common USB-borne infections.

Visit USB Virus Remover

USB Autorun Protector

Windows — Free / Portable

Immunizes USB drives by creating protective files and can remove autorun-based threats from sticks.

Visit USB Autorun Protector

USB Virus Removal Tool

Windows — Free

Scans and repairs USB-infected systems (fixes registry/hidden file settings) and cleans removable media.

Visit USB Virus Removal Tool

USB-AV

Windows — Free

Small utility aimed at detecting removable-media threats; useful as a secondary USB layer alongside primary AV.

Visit USB-AV

Microsoft Safety Scanner

Windows — Free / Portable

On-demand Microsoft scanner you can copy to a USB stick and run on any PC to detect and remove malware.

Visit Microsoft Safety Scanner

ClamAV (Portable)

Windows, Linux, macOS — Free & Open Source

Open-source engine; use a portable build or ClamTK GUI to scan USB drives across platforms.

Visit ClamAV

GMER

Windows — Free (Rootkit Scanner)

Advanced rootkit detection tool that can uncover deeply hidden malware that sometimes spreads via USB drives.

Visit GMER

ESET SysRescue Live

Bootable USB Rescue — Free

Create a bootable rescue USB to scan and clean infected systems (runs outside the infected OS for thorough cleaning).

Visit ESET SysRescue

Kaspersky Rescue Disk

Bootable USB Rescue — Free

Bootable rescue environment for scanning and disinfecting systems and removable media without loading the host OS.

Visit Kaspersky Rescue Disk