Best antivirus for USB and external drive scanning

Threats on USBs and external drives pose serious risks because they’re often able to bypass traditional network-based security. This allows them to quickly spread between devices, particularly in schools and offices, where a single infected USB or external drive could compromise an entire network. Threats can include autorun malware, worms, trojans, and ransomware, leading to serious issues, including data theft and system disruption.

The best antivirus programs for USB and external drive scanning address these threats through automatic scanning and real-time protection. When a USB device or external drive is connected, these antivirus programs instantly scan for known threats and block any suspicious activity. Such features ensure that these devices are safe to access and reduce the spread of malware. In this guide, we’ll review the very best antivirus tools that offer this feature.

Before we go into the best antivirus for USB and external drive scanning in more detail, here’s a brief overview of each:

1. Norton 360: Best antivirus for USB and external drive scanning. Identity protection features included. Use it to secure up to 10 devices. Also includes excellent support.
2. Surfshark Antivirus: Budget-friendly antivirus coupled with a top-rated VPN service. Lightweight so won’t slow down your device but still packs powerful protection.
3. Intego Antivirus: Top antivirus for Mac and gives you the option of securing one, three, or five devices. Includes numerous extras and its quality support is available 24/7.
4. TotalAV: Provides not only USB and external device scanning but an ad blocker, VPN, and password manager. Easy to use even for beginners and highly affordable to boot.
5. McAfee Total Protection: Balances protection with performance and includes both a password manager and VPN. 24/7 support and the option to cover just one device.
6. VIPRE Antivirus: Highly transparent provider which offers powerful protection including USB scanning. Like many antivirus’ it’s highly affordable for the first year of subscription.
7. Bitdefender Internet Security: Automatic scanning of USBs and external drives. It also has apps for all major operating systems. Plenty of choice with different tiers of plans.

Criteria for the best antivirus for USB and external drive scanning

Although we’re looking for antivirus programs that offer USB and external device scanning, that’s not the only requirement. The antivirus still needs to effectively detect and put a stop to malware threats without significantly slowing your device in the process. With this in mind, here’s what we were looking for in the best antivirus for USB and external drive scanning:

• Automatic USB detection and scanning
• Manual scanning options for USBs and external drives
• Real-time protection from threats
• Low system impact
• 24/7 live chat and email support
• Easy to use for first-time antivirus users

Best antivirus for USB and external drive scanning

Here’s our list of the best antivirus programs with USB and external drive scanning:

Norton 360 offers real-time protection, including USB and external drive scanning. This antivirus provides impressive security, earning Norton a near-perfect score of 99.75 in our recent tests. There’s no shortage of subscription plans to choose from. All Norton 360 plans include dark web monitoring, a password manager, and VPN. The higher the tier, the more identity protection features you’ll get, such as phone takeover monitoring.

With Norton 360’s Select Plus and Advantage plans, you can secure up to 10 of your devices at once. With Ultimate Plus, there’s no device limit, which is ideal if you want to share antivirus protection with family. AV-Test has rated Norton 360 as a top product, awarding it full marks not only for its protection, but for the performance and usability it offers. Norton has better customer support than most antivirus providers and this is available 24/7 via phone, live chat, and email.

Norton 360 has apps for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS.

BEST ANTIVIRUS FOR USB AND EXTERNAL DRIVE SCANNING:Norton 360 offers the best protection from malware. Its real-time protection includes USB and external drive scanning. You’ll also find a password manager and VPN. Excellent support available 24/7. You can try Norton 360 risk-free thanks to its 60-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full Norton Antivirus review.

Surfshark Antivirus is a highly affordable option which states that its on-demand scans aren’t limited to your devices. Its external storage scanner extends protection to USBs and external drives. Connecting one of these devices opens the app and starts a scan to protect your device from threats. Surfshark Antivirus comes with one of the best VPNs, ensuring your traffic is encrypted and your IP address hidden when browsing, streaming, torrenting, or playing online games.

Particularly impressive is that Surfshark Antivirus is able to provide such a high level of protection while remaining so lightweight. This is reflected in not only our own test results but also those of AV-Test. The apps are beginner-friendly and, if you do need help, 24/7 support is offered via live chat and email. Also included with Surfshark Antivirus is Alternative ID, a new feature which lets you generate a new digital identity to protect your personal information.

You can use Surfshark Antivirus on desktop (Windows and MacOS) and on mobile (Android).

BEST BUDGET ANTIVIRUS:Surfshark Antivirus offers low monthly subscription prices if you’re willing to commit for a year or two. Real-time protection from threats, including those on USB and external drives. Lightweight and coupled with Surfshark’s excellent VPN. Includes a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full Surfshark Antivirus review.

Intego Antivirus is an antivirus with a focus on providing protection for MacOS. As part of its real-time scanning, it’ll protect your device from threats that may be on USBs or external devices. Although Intego performed well across the board in our in-house testing, it was the fact that it so rarely produces false positives that it earned a perfect score in that category. On top of the real-time protection is a two-way firewall to help secure your wifi and wired networks.

You have three different security solutions to choose from for your Mac. Higher tiers include extras such as secure file removal and parental controls. There’s also the option of a VPN if you’d like to encrypt your internet connection. Strong scores from independent testing labs further back up Intego’s impressive scores in our own tests. Intego has received excellent reviews for its customer support,available to customers 24 hours a day.

Intego Antivirus is available for Mac but has a separate Windows antivirus.

ANTIVIRUS FOR MAC:Intego Antivirus features real-time USB and external drive scanning, a two-way firewall, and the option of parental controls and a VPN. This antivirus for Mac has strong scores from independent testing labs and excellent support. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full Intego Antivirus review.

TotalAV stands out for its real-time scanning tool, safeguarding your device from viruses, trojans, and ransomware threats. It’s packed with features that make it excellent value for money, particularly in the first year with its heavy discount. This includes tools for optimizing your device’s performance and an ad blocker. You’ll also find a VPN and password manager. Depending on the plan you opt for, you’ll be able to secure three, six, or eight devices.

When we put TotalAV up against live malware samples, it performed admirably. It also received full marks in the false positives category for not incorrectly marking safe programs as threats. Included with your TotalAV subscription is 24/7 support, and unlike with many antivirus providers, it includes phone support. We appreciate that TotalAV lets you manually turn off auto-renewal, albeit you’ll need to do this in the dashboard after signing up.

TotalAV provides apps for desktop and mobile (Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS).

FEATURE-PACKED:TotalAV provides real-time scanning and a whole host of extras, offering excellent value for the price, at least for the first year. Very easy to use and with 24/7 live chat and phone support. Option of a VPN and password manager. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full TotalAV review.

McAfee Total Protection is a strong all-rounder as evidenced by its impressive protection and performance scores in testing. It’s also recognized by independent testing labs, receiving full marks for the same categories from AV-Test. As such, it provides a high level of security without slowing your device. There’s plenty of flexibility in that you can choose a plan which covers just one, five, or an unlimited number of devices.

Regardless of your plan, you’ll have web protection that identifies malicious websites, a password manager, and a VPN. In Total Protection’s Advanced tier, you’ll also find privacy features like a social privacy manager for quick and easy adjustment of your social media privacy settings. This tier also includes identity monitoring, alerts, and identity theft coverage. McAfee offers customer support around the clock.

You can secure your Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS devices with McAfee Total Protection.

STRONG ALL-ROUNDER:McAfee Total Protection is a popular antivirus because it balances a high level of protection with strong performance. It includes some useful extras such as a VPN and a password manager. Secure anything from one to an unlimited number of devices. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full McAfee Antivirus review.

VIPRE Antivirus stands out for its excellent protection score of 99.83, putting it ahead of most antivirus programs we’ve tested. That’s because it has a powerful virus engine, USB scanning, and a strong selection of other security tools included as part of your subscription. The VIPRE Advanced Security tier includes phishing and spam email protection and a firewall, while the Ultimate Security bundle has this plus dark web scanning and an unlimited VPN.

With its 24-hour US-based support, VIPRE antivirus makes resolving any issues you encounter easy. However, you shouldn’t have too many problems when it comes to signing up or billing because it scored full marks for transparency in our testing. Auto-renewal is easily turned off. The first-year subscription offers excellent value but, as is often the case, renews at a higher rate.

VIPRE Antivirus can be downloaded and installed on your Windows and Mac devices.

RELIABLE CHOICE:VIPRE Antivirus won’t let you down in terms of protection, performance, or when it comes to billing. This is a highly transparent provider with quality US-based support and powerful, real-time protection at an affordable price. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full VIPRE Antivirus review.

Bitdefender Internet Security is one of the most popular antivirus solutions on the market, and for good reason. Its security suite contains far more features than most competitors, making it one of the most comprehensive options available. Aside from automatic scanning of USBs and external drives, Bitdefender Internet Security provides real-time protection from threats including ransomware. Protection even extends to your webcam and microphone.

Just some of the extra privacy features that come with a Bitdefender Internet Security subscription include a VPN, parental controls, and a file shredder. Despite the many features on offer, Bitdefender remains lightweight and a good choice even for older computers. This is reflected in its respectable performance score in our testing, as well as its perfect score for the same category from AV-Test. 24/7 live chat, email, and phone support are also available.

Bitdefender apps are available for desktop (Windows and Mac) and mobile (Android and iOS) platforms.

SECURE EVERY DEVICE:Bitdefender Internet Security couldn’t be easier to use. It has excellent apps for all major platforms, 24/7 live chat and phone support, and an abundance of privacy features on top of real-time protection and USB scanning. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full Bitdefender Antivirus review.

Testing methodology: How we found the best antivirus for USB drives

• USB and external drive scanning features: First and foremost, we were of course looking for antivirus programs with USB and external drive scanning features. This should include automatic scanning of a USB or external drive when inserted as well as manual scanning options via the antivirus’ interface or a right-click menu.
• Malware detection with real-time protection: USB and external drive scanning is of little use in an antivirus if it doesn’t include real-time protection from malware. We use our own testing coupled with the results of independent testing labs. We’re seeking a strong record of malware detection and removal of ransomware, trojans, worms, and more.
• Performance impact: The impact an antivirus has on your device’s performance also matters. Ideally, you want software that’s going to run smoothly in the background without interrupting your activities. The best antivirus programs are lightweight and we measure this by looking at how they consume resources before and during scans.
• Usability and interface: Usability is another key area, particularly if it’s your first time using antivirus software. When we test each antivirus, we look for those with clear and intuitive interfaces. The antivirus should make it clear when there’s a threat and what action has been taken (or whether you need to take any steps to secure your device).
• Additional protection features: It doesn’t hurt if the antivirus offers extra security features either. This may be a firewall, email scanning, VPN, or a password manager. Such features add value to a subscription. Indeed, the extra features on offer may be a deciding factor if you’re struggling to separate one antivirus from another.
• Value for money: We also consider the cost of each antivirus, taking into account any first-year promotions as well as the subsequent year two subscription price. It’s important to take into account the features on offer for the price, as well as whether there’s a free trial. All of the antivirus solutions we recommend come with generous money-back guarantees so you can try them risk-free.

Our antivirus software testing methodology explains how we go about assessing an antivirus’ effectiveness at detecting and removing malware, system impact when running scans, and more.

How to use an antivirus with USB and external drive scanning

We’ve only selected antivirus programs that are easy to set up and use. Still, it may be your first time using an antivirus, which means that you may benefit from some simple step-by-step instructions to help you get started.

Here’s how to protect your device using an antivirus with USB and external drive scanning:

1. Sign up with a reputable antivirus with USB and external drive scanning. We particularly recommend Norton 360.
2. Download the antivirus on the device or devices you want to protect and proceed to install it by following the on-screen instructions.
3. Launch the antivirus app and log in if required. Make sure real-time protection is turned on and that you have the latest virus definition updates.
4. You can now insert a USB drive or external hard drive into your device’s USB port. Some antivirus programs will automatically scan the drive or prompt you to do so.
5. To manually scan the USB or external drive, right-click on the drive in File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac). Otherwise, open the antivirus program and find the option of Custom Scan or Scan Specific Drive. You can then choose the USB or external drive and start the scan.
6. If the scan detects malware or suspicious files, your antivirus will either quarantine the file, delete it outright, or prompt you to decide what to do with it.
7. To keep your device protected, make sure you allow automatic updates to virus definitions and keep the antivirus app up to date.

Antivirus for USB and external drive scanning: FAQs