Anyone ever had any issues using Malwarebytes Antimalware?

[inf1nity]

I am trying to make a PC at home more secure, and so i decided to put MBAM on it and run a scan. The scan shows me a number of malwares on the computer, which i find surprising, since MSE always tells me that its clean.

I looked at the detailed results and a few of the "malware" are in the system directory(C:/WINDOWS/system32) This concerns me. I am afraid that a few of them might be false positives and if i go ahead and tell MBAM to delete/quarantine them, my computer might crash and will need a fresh install of windows.

My question- Has anyone here had any problems like this while using malwarebytes, where it threw up a false positive and when the user deleted that file, it caused the system to become un-usable?

The computer in question is a VAIO laptop and is running Windows 7 professional x64.

 

[WilliamM2]

I've never had issues with false positives really, but it does mark a lot of cookies as malware, that really aren't a problem.

I've never had MSE detect anything, even on computers I knew were infected, so I wouldn't go by that.

 

[inf1nity]

Would you suggest that i replace MSE with another AV?

If yes, is Bitdefender any good? I have used avast free on my desktop and while I am satisfied, I am looking to get something a little more lightweight.

 

[sonitravel09]

So far this is the only free software i have used that has been able to detect and get rid of every problem i have run into, even stuff that antivirus/spam programs missed. Never clean up a pc without it.

 

[Mem]

MSE/Defender is considered bottom of the AV range in detection etc,you are far better off using a third party free AV like Bitdefender,Avira,AVG,Avast,Panda to name a few then run Malwarebytes free version for checks now and then,personally never had any issues with Malwarebytes.

 

[Charlie98]

I run 4 different AV programs... MBAM and Spybot separately (as needed) and SuperAntiSpyware and MSE actively. I find that one AV scan will find stuff that the other scan may miss, etc. I've never had problems deleting or quarantining an item that MBAM has found... and have it mess up a process elsewhere, it's pretty good at what it does. If you quarantine something, and then reboot with errors, you can recover items in quarantine until you find the one needed/causing errors.

 

[HOSED]

Se post 11 here,
http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=36901860&postcount=11 I recently switched thanks to John Conner and am very happy with the free version of Bit Defender. I have use MBAM for years (for on demand scanning only) and the free version has never found anything in a Windows folder. If you do decide to let it quarantine, I would do a full image to an external hard drive first to avoid the need for a fresh install.

 

[Berryracer]

MSE is NOT an Antivirus replacement! Even Microsoft said that on their site once (can't find the link now)

Either put a decent AV or don't, no need for MSE

For free, I suggest 360 Internet Security
For Paid, I suggest Norton Security (you pay once, and can use the license on 5 devices like computers or smartphones), is very light and no false positives

 

[Loser Gamer]

Sometimes I wonder if antivirus programs are the real viruses as much as they phone home and scan every little detail of your pc down to the tiniest morsel. But what are we gonna do really...

 

[gmaster456]

I stopped using an AV a year or two ago. Haven't really felt the need for one. Most AV's feel like viruses themselves, Norton, McAfee and AVG being the most egregious offenders.

 

[corkyg]

One of the Settings in MBAM is to treat PUPs and PUMs as malware. This I pre
rfer. Some might consider these as false positives, but I want them quarantined so I can delete them. A lot of freeware is chock-a-block full of PUPs - some are really annoying. MBAM just says "No!"

 

[inf1nity]

Alright so I am a little confused. The website says that Malwarebytes is NOT an antivirus and should be used in addition to a regular AV program. However as i understand, malware is just another name for harmful programs of all types, which includes viruses, aprt from trojans, keyloggers, adware etc.

So what exactly does MBAM do then. It catches all kinds of malware except viruses? And regular antiviruses do the opposite? i.e. catch only viruses and ignore other kinds of malware.

Any kind of explanation would be appreciated.

 

[inf1nity]

One of the Settings in MBAM is to treat PUPs and PUMs as malware. This I pre
rfer. Some might consider these as false positives, but I want them quarantined so I can delete them. A lot of freeware is chock-a-block full of PUPs - some are really annoying. MBAM just says "No!"

Yeah i used this setting too. This laptop is full of malware; MBAM detected 32 of them! But then, it doesn't belong to me. And BTW adware is not a false positive, unless you are a kind of person who likes seeing ads.

My own personal computer has 0 infections ^_^

 

[mikeymikec]

I think the main issue with antivirus software these days is that the most prolific threats to computer security aren't viruses per se but PUP classification software, the lines have been so blurred that the antivirus vendors aren't sure how to deal with it any more.

For example, the unwanted installation of a browser toolbar. If that's all it is, then it's not a threat per se, it's simply an additional toolbar in the browser. PUP, yes, but apart from screen space it's not really doing any hijacking, and if it isn't used, then it ought not to be spying on your usage.

Next one up, hijacking the search function in the browser. If it's done quietly, some less experienced users might wonder why Google looks a bit different today and why there are more ads. It's definitely done to spy and serve up ads.

Of course there are many more forms of crapware classified as PUP and they're not search related, but I think every one of their categories have similar lines of blurring between being otherwise harmless and starting to hijack or report information, and say page injection with ads.

I think anti-virus vendors are typically worried about getting sued for misrepresentation of a piece of software as malware, and so they don't just blacklist any software that users have been duped into installing.

One thing I find infuriating about security software through my line of work is that say Norton has evidently let through some crap, then when you go to uninstall the crap, Norton blocks the uninstaller. While I have seen uninstall programs that I would regard as malware, probably 999 out of 1000 I've encountered aren't, and Norton simply jumps on the uninstall file being named Au.exe or Au_.exe, I would bet. Yes, thank you Norton for closing the stable doors after the horse has bolted and the stable could do with a good airing.

 

[Ketchup]

It really depends on who is doing the defining. A standard antivirus will not remove adware, for example. I usually differential Malware from Viruses, some put it in the same category.

Here are some examples:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2379663,00.asp
https://ist.mit.edu/security/malware

Personally, I have antivirus running on regular PCs. I will use MBAM and Superantispyware when problems are detected.

Bottom line, while I have a general order to removing Malware, I don't have a "one size fits all" solution.

I would recommend you list the threats MBAM is reporting for the best help with your issue.

 

[gmaster456]

Alright so I am a little confused. The website says that Malwarebytes is NOT an antivirus and should be used in addition to a regular AV program. However as i understand, malware is just another name for harmful programs of all types, which includes viruses, aprt from trojans, keyloggers, adware etc.

So what exactly does MBAM do then. It catches all kinds of malware except viruses? And regular antiviruses do the opposite? i.e. catch only viruses and ignore other kinds of malware.

Any kind of explanation would be appreciated.

It's different in the sense that it isn't actively protecting you. Antiviruses are typically proactive actively blocking threats and scanning files that are installed, where Malwarebytes is more reactive and something that catches things after you've already been infected and you run it manually.

 

[corkyg]

My MBAM Premium does indeed block things, especially while surfing. Maybe the free version does not, but the paid version does. It also detects rootkits.

 

[Ketchup]

My MBAM Premium does indeed block things, especially while surfing. Maybe the free version does not, but the paid version does. It also detects rootkits.

That's cool. What types of things does it find?

 

[JEDIYoda]

I don`t use it!! It is not all they would have you believe!