ExploitShield Browser Edition is a free tool from ZeroVulnerabilityLabs that protects your browser from exploits, including zero-day attacks that antivirus signatures don’t catch yet. ZeroVulnerabilityLabs, a security research firm based in San Jose, California, was founded in 2011 by internet security industry veterans, and ExploitShield was its flagship product.
What ExploitShield does
Most drive-by infections start with an exploit kit: a malicious or hacked web page that attacks a bug in the browser or a component such as Java or a PDF reader. ExploitShield shields that software against both known and zero-day exploits. Instead of looking for a particular piece of malware, it stops the exploit itself, so it doesn’t depend on the attack having been seen before.
ExploitShield editions
- Browser Edition (free): blocks drive-by downloads from commercial exploit kits.
- Corporate Edition: adds protection against file-format and media-format targeted attacks and advanced stealth targeted attacks, for business PCs.
How to use ExploitShield Browser Edition
- Install the program alongside your existing antivirus; it doesn’t replace it.
- Leave it running. Protected applications are shielded automatically.
- If an exploit attempt is blocked, the attacked process is stopped before the payload runs.
Because it works on behaviour rather than signatures, it complements a normal antivirus. Good habits still matter: keep Windows and your browser updated and follow the usual ways to protect your computer from viruses.
Today: Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit
Malwarebytes acquired ZeroVulnerabilityLabs on June 20, 2013. Co-founder and CEO Pedro Bustamante joined Malwarebytes, and an improved ExploitShield was renamed Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit. Malwarebytes released Anti-Exploit in 2014 in free and paid Windows versions: the free one protected browsers and Java, the paid one a wider range of applications. In 2016 it was folded into the premium Malwarebytes 3.0, and the standalone app stayed in beta. Windows 10 and 11 also include exploit mitigations in Windows Security; our advanced Windows Defender settings guide shows where to find them.
