Latest Version of Malwarebytes

MoxieMomma said:

Hi:

Ummm, version 1.75 has not been supported for a long time.
It may still be getting database updates, but I'm not sure.

Version 2.x has been out since March 2014.
It runs on everything from XP to 10.

I highly encourage you to upgrade to 2.2.1.1043, rather than staying with 1.75.
2.2.1.1043 is stable and much more capable than 1.75.
You are far less protected with 1.75 than you would be with 2.2.1.1043.
And, if 1.75 is not receiving updates any longer, the risk of both F/Ps and F/Ns increases substantially.
It would be unhelpful to run 1.75 without current databases.

Alas, in part of the strong-arm tactics to force users to upgrade to MB3, it seems they are no longer offering the installer for 2.2.1.1043 at the MBAM product page or anywhere on the main site.
Perhaps there is a hidden link tucked away somewhere.
As of this moment, it's still available at bleepingcomputer and probably at other 3rd-party sites, such as filehippo or majorgeeks.
I would be VERY careful getting it anywhere else (including cnet), as the file may come with unwanted PUPs or worse....

Cheers,
MM

Thanks. Version 1.75 is still supported with full definition updating provided.

The reason I haven't upgraded to 2.x before is that every time I've considered doing so there has been some problem or other with it, and for a long time it seemed as if it was still in beta in all but name. Bear in mind I'm only interested in the free version, the forced quarantine aspect of the paid version has been off-putting and many people regard manual scans with the free version coupled with live protection from a separate AV program as giving adequate cover for most needs.

If you're saying that those issues have now been addressed and that 2.x is now fully reliable then I'll certainly look again at upgrading to it now rather than waiting for 3.x to settle down, but I've never had a single problem with 1.75 and I'm one of the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" brigade! If they withdrew all support including definition updates for 1.75 then of course I'd drop it immediately.

Thanks MM.

As for support, there's no "might be" about current database support for 1.75, it's definitely still provided as I update it every time I scan. Mind you, I'm surprised it's still happening and I think that it was almost certainly extended beyond the initial intended period because of teething troubles with 2.x. As soon as I saw the initial announcement of 3.x my first reaction was to anticipate all support for 1.75 coming to an abrupt end.

I shall therefore aim to upgrade to 2.x after all the Christmas rush is over, initially on one machine to see how it goes. That's something I've been thinking about doing recently, with that timescale in mind. Do you have any tips on the recommended settings in terms of the extra things like rootkit detection which I seem to recall slowed the scanning down and caused some initial issues? What's the modern equivalent of the "Quick" scan on 1.75? Are those extra features included in the free version?

Thanks for your time.

MoxieMomma said:

Malwarebytes | Malwarebytes Support - Home Products Lifecyle Policy

I'm not entirely clear from that link when definition updates will stop being released. I assume it's at the End of Life as it certainly hasn't been at the End of Maintenance, and I'm also puzzled as to why they haven't reported the release of this Product Lifecycle Policy on their forum, so far as I can see. Does it not qualify as "Malwarebytes News"? No pop-up window when you open a product launcher?

Seffrid said:

MoxieMomma said:

Malwarebytes | Malwarebytes Support - Home Products Lifecyle Policy

I'm not entirely clear from that link when definition updates will stop being released. I assume it's at the End of Life as it certainly hasn't been at the End of Maintenance, and I'm also puzzled as to why they haven't reported the release of this Product Lifecycle Policy on their forum, so far as I can see. Does it not qualify as "Malwarebytes News"? No pop-up window when you open a product launcher?

I think they're saying that it will be at their discretion when they stop providing definition updates after the End of Life date.

This new version is a drag because they it actually acts like a anti-virus software. So, if you are already running a different anti-virus program, it will be incompatible and create some havoc on your machine. And as far as I know, there isn't a way to disable the antivirus portion of the MBAM.

If this is the future of Malwarebyte products, they will lose customers who already prefer a different security software that offers a separate anti-virus protection.

Sky Ranch said:

Seffrid said:

MoxieMomma said:

Malwarebytes | Malwarebytes Support - Home Products Lifecyle Policy

I'm not entirely clear from that link when definition updates will stop being released. I assume it's at the End of Life as it certainly hasn't been at the End of Maintenance, and I'm also puzzled as to why they haven't reported the release of this Product Lifecycle Policy on their forum, so far as I can see. Does it not qualify as "Malwarebytes News"? No pop-up window when you open a product launcher?

I think they're saying that it will be at their discretion when they stop providing definition updates after the End of Life date.

This new version is a drag because they it actually acts like a anti-virus software. So, if you are already running a different anti-virus program, it will be incompatible and create some havoc on your machine. And as far as I know, there isn't a way to disable the antivirus portion of the MBAM.

If this is the future of Malwarebyte products, they will lose customers who already prefer a different security software that offers a separate anti-virus protection.

I think a lot of people have been fearful of the way that Malwarebytes are buying up other types of products and combining them into their own as a single product. It's always been seen as a good thing in the security software arena not to "put all your eggs in one basket" but to rely on several distinct products so that if one misses something it's picked up by another. The way everything is being combined into one single Malwarebytes product runs contrary to that. Indeed, MBAM has been consistently marketed very much on the basis that it was an Anti-Malware product and not just another Anti-Virus program, and as such was complementary to such programs rather than an alternative to them.

Also, it's one thing for Malwarebytes to say that their AV element will be compatible with other AV programs, but will the developers of those other programs agree that their product is compatible with the Malwarebytes product? I suspect not, and where will that leave the user?

Seffrid said:

Sky Ranch said:

Seffrid said:

I'm not entirely clear from that link when definition updates will stop being released. I assume it's at the End of Life as it certainly hasn't been at the End of Maintenance, and I'm also puzzled as to why they haven't reported the release of this Product Lifecycle Policy on their forum, so far as I can see. Does it not qualify as "Malwarebytes News"? No pop-up window when you open a product launcher?

I think they're saying that it will be at their discretion when they stop providing definition updates after the End of Life date.

This new version is a drag because they it actually acts like a anti-virus software. So, if you are already running a different anti-virus program, it will be incompatible and create some havoc on your machine. And as far as I know, there isn't a way to disable the antivirus portion of the MBAM.

If this is the future of Malwarebyte products, they will lose customers who already prefer a different security software that offers a separate anti-virus protection.

I think a lot of people have been fearful of the way that Malwarebytes are buying up other types of products and combining them into their own as a single product. It's always been seen as a good thing in the security software arena not to "put all your eggs in one basket" but to rely on several distinct products so that if one misses something it's picked up by another. The way everything is being combined into one single Malwarebytes product runs contrary to that. Indeed, MBAM has been consistently marketed very much on the basis that it was an Anti-Malware product and not just another Anti-Virus program, and as such was complementary to such programs rather than an alternative to them.

Also, it's one thing for Malwarebytes to say that their AV element will be compatible with other AV programs, but will the developers of those other programs agree that their product is compatible with the Malwarebytes product? I suspect not, and where will that leave the user?

You're right. There has been talk already that Kaspersky and McAfee, which both having worked alongside MBAM, is now having conflicts with the new version. When I noticed a slow down in system performance and freezing, I looked at the Action Center and it said there were two Virus protection and two Spyware protection agents running that were causing the problems.

I think if Malwarebytes wanted to jump into the antivirus or create their own security suite software, they should do so independently of MBAM. That way users have a choice in what kind of protection they prefer.