Download WinPatrol 27.0.2013

BillP Studios has released version 26.1.2013 of WinPatrol. In this program, ‘Scotty, the Windows watchdog’ keeps an eye on the system, making it work faster and more stable. WinPatrol detects and stops spy, ad and malware attacks, viruses and malicious Internet Explorer add-ons, while also preventing home page hijacks. A few other things are also monitored, including the processes running on the PC, the hosts file, file extensions, and whether a program or process is added to the start-up list.

In addition to the free version, there is also a paid one Plus variant, which provides access to a database with extensive information about programs and processes, which states, for example, whether they are safe or malicious. New in this release is a notification when a new version is available and an issue has been fixed that could cause the program to crash.

Automatic Update Notification

The newest feature is one many users have asked about for years. While I’m not a big fan of software that provides automatic updates, making sure everyone knows when a new version of WinPatrol was available makes sense. Our new version will provide notification within a reasonable time and allow users to read about the new version before deciding to install it.

Once notified, WinPatrol won’t continue to remind you but it will update the information found under the PLUS tab so when you do want to upgrade it will be an easy option. Having the message on the PLUS tab/screen will also help remind you.

Fixed: WinPatrol Crashing When Replying to Changes

On Tuesday, Feb 26th we started to receive reports of WinPatrol crashing anytime someone responded to a change alert message. This failure was originally thought to be related to the Tuesday Windows Update or other companies updating their software.

It turned out to be the result of a hacker trying to obtain WinPatrol data. While our software failed when replying to changes, no data was lost and any changes will still be reported using this new version. At no time was any personal information at risk. No Email, passwords, credit card information was stolen or even available to any kind of attack.

Our new version includes a layer of protection that will discourage any future attacks and crash safely. If an error occurs for any reason, Scotty will continue to be graceful in his behavior so other programs will never at risk of losing work currently in progress.

I have posted more details on what the hackers did access and invite you to learn more on our blog post Hackers Steal WinPatrol Data Already Available.