Malwarebytes Quietly Becomes a Big Player

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
Joined
May 9, 2000
Messages
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Have you ever heard about Malwarebytes? Chances are good that you have simply because you are reading a tech news forum, but for the masses, it is still an undiscovered gem. Since 2008, Malwarebytes has been downloaded over 100 million times and has detected over five billion pieces of malware.

Malwarebytes works alongside antivirus software from vendors such as Symantec and McAfee. Like using a seatbelt and an airbag together, antivirus and anti-malware go together because they attack the problem from different directions
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RKill + MalwareBytes. Has pretty much solved every malware issue I have ever run into.
 
Always used it when a friend came to me with "virus" trouble. Never let me down once, unlike the products most of my friends were running :p
 
superanti spyware is a bit better sometimes. tho, i've had to remove so many peoples malware that I just do it manually now. few reg edits + a few file deletions. 9 times out of 10 is gone.
 
I like Malwarebytes --but;

SuperAntiSpyware has a free, portable version. Malwarebytes hasn't done that, and has made it difficult for newer versions to work with UBCDWIN. Not being able to easily run it from a USB stick or bootable CD has meant that I've replaced it with other utilities, mainly because a lot of malware blocks it from running, unless I boot from another source.
 
Since I can't edit, I'd add this --if buying the Pro version got me the ability to run it off a USB key, I'd plunk down the cash. Aside from that issue, it's a good program.
 
No matter what apps I test my own machine (or the Wife's) with, they always end up clean, go figure. MalwareBytes finds nothing, SuperAntiSpyware, nothing, the old Spybot app, nothing, Hitman Pro, nothing, online scanners find nothing, etc.

Bleh. MSE + Firefox + NoScript + third-party cookies disabled completely + session cookies = pretty much covers the bases...
 
It used to be great but in the past 6 months or so I've found it almost worthless. Super Antispyware always picks up junk that malwarebytes misses.
 
ThisMonsterLives said:
It used to be great but in the past 6 months or so I've found it almost worthless. Super Antispyware always picks up junk that malwarebytes misses.
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Super Antispyware just picks up more cookies than malwarebytes imho. If you run both Malwarebytes AND Super Antispyware in safe mode you will have a better chance of success to clean out most infections.

I've only had a handful of occasions where I had to go into the registry and clean out some infected key entries that refered to a load point in the user profile.
 
ThisMonsterLives said:
It used to be great but in the past 6 months or so I've found it almost worthless. Super Antispyware always picks up junk that malwarebytes misses.
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+1. MBAM has gone downhill, which was expected due to it's sudden popularity + ridiculous growth of malware
 
SuperAntiSpyware huh? I'll have to check it out.

I've been using MSE + Malewarebytes for the past year or so and have no complaints.
 
Normal actions on every machine I work on:

Safemode-->Rkill-->Malwarebytes-->Superantispyware-->Ccleaner-->Combofix-->Remove installed AV-->Install MSE-->Profit
 
I just run MSE on my Windows 7 computer and never run in to problems. Perhaps a lot has to do with where you go and what you do. When I have a friend tell me they have a problem 98% of the time SuperAntispyware portable has done the trick.
 
TwiceOver said:
RKill + MalwareBytes. Has pretty much solved every malware issue I have ever run into.
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This.

webmastir said:
superanti spyware is a bit better sometimes. tho, i've had to remove so many peoples malware that I just do it manually now. few reg edits + a few file deletions. 9 times out of 10 is gone.
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I have seen SAS catch some things MBAM didn't, but I've also seen some the other way as well. Not every program is perfect.
 
I use Kaspersky interwebz security suite it pwns in all directions of malware rootkits a thing of teh past and everything in teh middle to I wont touch anything else :D
 
Yea I have to say SuperAntiSpyware is better. In my experience Malwarebytes only goes after the well known spyware.

SmitFraudFix does an amazing job recovering XP systems locked down by the malware where you can't even install a scanner to begin removal in the first place
http://siri.geekstogo.com/SmitfraudFix.php
 
xX326Xx said:
I just run MSE on my Windows 7 computer and never run in to problems. Perhaps a lot has to do with where you go and what you do. When I have a friend tell me they have a problem 98% of the time SuperAntispyware portable has done the trick.
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Same here, W7 pro, just MSE + chrome + "NotScript" (lol).
I'll give Super Anti Spyware a try for a month just to see if it picks anything.
 
Malwarebytes has brought many of my friend's computers back to life. Everytime I leave them I make sure I set it up to run automatically everyday. Gotten several calls about how they got the high "score" on things detected haha. Makes me wonder what websites these people go to.
 
Fendrix said:
SuperAntiSpyware huh? I'll have to check it out.

I've been using MSE + Malewarebytes for the past year or so and have no complaints.
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Same, but earlier last year I added Super Antispyware to that equation and so far, no issues at all.

Certainly beats Avast or Kaspersky. Yes, it's three different solutions, but I'd rather have that than putting my eggs in one anti-virus/anti-malware basket.
 
We run malwarebytes superantispyware and then spybot
Many times have one come up clean and the other two have found something.

Has anyone here bought any of these? I'd be interested in hearing how effective the pay versions are at prevention.
 
I keep threatening my wife to put Linux on her laptop because of constant malware issue.
She lets our 6 year old play on it; of course he click anything that looks sparkly. She is bad for going to "free offer" sites and getting spyware. It has Avast installed, but it misses A LOT now a days.
 
Dr. Righteous said:
I keep threatening my wife to put Linux on her laptop because of constant malware issue.
She lets our 6 year old play on it; of course he click anything that looks sparkly. She is bad for going to "free offer" sites and getting spyware. It has Avast installed, but it misses A LOT now a days.
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AVAST is pretty much trash nowdays.

Put Microsoft Security Essentials on (antivirus + antimalware) for free.

microsoft.com/security
 
I concur on the Rkill+Malwarebytes.

I wonder if those who find superantispyware finding things malware doesn't are using rkill? I have only had rare instances where super actually found anything other then cookies which I don't care about when fixing a computer. I still always run it on a clean up just to be sure, but generally it doesn't find anything useful.

Basically my kit looks like this as far as usage goes.

1) Rkill on everything
2) Malwarebytes
3) Superantispyware just to be safe.

4) Smitfraudfix on those rare times where the machine is just completely locked down.
5) Combofix if nothing else works. I haven't actually had to use combofix in months.

The final option of course is formatting, but I haven't had to actually do that in longer then I can remember. I have nothing but contempt for techs who are too lazy to clean a machine properly and this is their answer to everything. Sure it makes their life easier, but it is hugely disruptive to the customer and I have rarely found one that appreciates it.
 
Dr. Righteous said:
I keep threatening my wife to put Linux on her laptop because of constant malware issue.
She lets our 6 year old play on it; of course he click anything that looks sparkly. She is bad for going to "free offer" sites and getting spyware. It has Avast installed, but it misses A LOT now a days.
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Make her account a limited one, rather than an administrator. If she needs anything installed, do it for her with a secondary administrator account.

Use Adblock Plus with Chrome or Firefox to limit the amount of "sparkly" showing up in the browser.

If you're using Avast, make sure you have 6.x. Otherwise, use MSE 2.1, which was just released.

Also, keep up-to-date on Java if you have it installed. Earlier versions are leaky; that's not to say current ones are perfect, but they have patched it several times in the past 8-10 months to reduce the risk of drive-by Java malware.
 
I quite like Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. Been running it for years, and in fact, I'm running it on my laptop with a full scan, RIGHT NOW! :D
 
Why are you guys using Avast instead of Avira?

I just started using MSE alongside Avira and I'm wondering if I even need that second layer anymore. Anyone know how MSE is scoring compared to the long-timers?
 
The only thing I like about avast is the boot time scan. now if MSE could do that...
 
Has anyone been able to get MSE to work with the c: volume encrypted using truecrypt or bestcrypt? Last time I tried that on a system I got blue screens and had to decrypt the volume from a bootable rescue disk.
 
Im surprised to hear the name symantec or norton even mentioned anymore with regards to any sort of antivirus or commercial software. They are a big name, but my experience with them over the years has been HORRIBLE. Every single system that i have ever had norton or symantec products installed on has failed due to something that one of those programs did.

I specifically remember multiple times that i uninstalled norton ghost and norton / symantec antiviruses from computers, and simply uninstalling them was enough to break the windows installs. Windows would boot, look for a norton file that crawled into your system files like some slimy bug, not find it, then bluescreen. And that was using their own uninstaller without touching any of the files manually. Which brings up a good point: then theres the fact that when you would uninstall any of them they would leave installers, uninstallers, and other norton/symantec/live folders and files all over your harddrive and in your registry.

Im sick of programs integrating themselves so deeply in your system that if anything goes wrong with them you can never properly or fully remove it, and or if you do manage to, it takes the system with it when it goes. Screw. That. Crap.
 
I have seen MalwareBytes paid for version spot infections on a client PC which were not in its database. It has a firewall like port scanner which watches for strange connections. This gave me an "Early Warning" on his system when a bit of new spyware had jumped on his PC.

Also add to the toolkit - Unbuntu Boot Disk. Ideal for deleting the TEMP and Internet Cache folders where most infections are initially downloaded to. Many viruses run even in Safe Mode and some will then attempt to swat down Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware products. This cannot happen with an initial boot in via Unbuntu.

It is also quite easy, with a bit of experience, to spot dodgy products in Program Files and %APPDATA% folders. With a boot in a different OS, these can then be deleted or zipped up out of harms way while testing.
 
Malwarebytes + Rkill has been a fantastic support tool over the years and has been key for removing those shitty fake anti-virus programs that friends, family and workmates always seem to infect themselves with.

Malwarebytes succeeded where all others failed.
 
ThisMonsterLives said:
It used to be great but in the past 6 months or so I've found it almost worthless. Super Antispyware always picks up junk that malwarebytes misses.
Click to expand...

webmastir said:
+1. MBAM has gone downhill, which was expected due to it's sudden popularity + ridiculous growth of malware
Click to expand...

It's a seesaw between the two anti-malware program. Super AntiSpyware used to be the best, then they went downhill and MalwareByte became the best. Now it's back to Super AntiSpyware again.
 
World of Warcraft recommends it when someone hacks into your account. That is probally how it became big.:p
 
For a while they were the only thing that worked on the security center virus solicitation, I thought they wrote the virus just to make a product that would work on it lol
 
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