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Filed under: Security, News

New rogue antivirus app has a hate-on for Malwarebytes


If there's one anti-malware application that we (and you) hold near and dear, it's Malwarebytes.

How do you know when your crapware-fighting application has really made it big? When it starts being targeted by rogue antivirus software, of course.

Protection System -- which sounds about as real as The Christopher Guest School for Mixed Martial Arts -- detects MBAM during its bogus scan procedure and declares it malicious. It then offers to remove the threat for the poor sap who doesn't realize what's happening. After clicking ok, the uninstall routine is run and the user is left without what is likely the best tool for removing this pest.

This isn't a new tactic by any means. It's pretty common for engineered nasties to disable and damage antivirus and antimalware programs and mess with your hosts file so you can't update definitions or re-download.

Keep your filthy paws off MBAM, you damn, dirty rogue.

[via Sunbelt Blog]

Filed under: Security, Utilities, Freeware, How-Tos

Save Your Friends and Family From Malware!

Warning
Silly me. I figured as antivirus and antimalware protection became more sophisticated that I'd see fewer infected machines for repair. Man, was I wrong. Even my friends and family - who are fairly computer savvy and careful - have wound up in trouble.

If you're at all competent with a computer, chances are you've had requests from people to fix these problems. I've heard different programs menioned (XP Antivirus, Antivirus 2009, etc.), but it usually goes like this: "Hey, I'm getting this messages from [program] that I'm infected, can you fix that?"

Sure you can.

Over the past couple of months, I've tried different combinations of apps and find these four to do the job nicely. Download them, keep them up-to-date, and you'll be a hero with unlucky friends and family that wind up with an infected computer.

Note: run the first two in safe mode, if possible!

1. Combofix. This one has seen some major upgrades recently, and I use it on every cleanup. Where the old version just gave you a blue screen and said "Hang out for about ten minutes," the current version provides feedback about what's going on. Before any changes are made, ComboFix backs up the registry.

It then hunts out malware it recognizes and removes it. You may need to reboot, but you'll be prompted if it's necessary. It's portable, so just keep it updated on your flash drive.

Based on the comments, BE CAREFUL. Combofix has never caused me any issues, but your experience may be different.

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