Is Malwarebytes worth buying?

Im running a Symantec Endpoitn right now and it missed a wicked virus a couple of weeks back which Malwarebytes apperas to have fixed.
Ive run the trial version of MB and it seems to be catching malicious access all the time.

Is it worth buying/running alongside Symantec?

 

I personally don't think so. There are plenty of free security software methods.

 

What free program would you recommend running along side symantec (or on its own, if thats better)?

 

I personally recommend Avast. or eset over Symnatec.

This microsoft scan is very good for free

 

I would recommend you work on securing your browser. If you use firefox make sure you run with NoScript and adblock. Both are free.

If you run Chrome you can set javascript to a whitelist and use adblock.

EMET is another tool you can use.

As an antivirus I suggest you use MSE.

 

Any benefit to running Avast or MSE alonside Symantec?

 

i purchased it only because it was on sale for cheap...i like the real time scanning, auto updating and flash scan features...

 

It is not a good idea to have 2 distinct AV programs running real time!
Benefits: No way IMO, you only really need MSE and common sense, but Malwarebytes is good as a secondary tool.
I have used it for years but only the free version.

 

Thanks.

I already pay fro Symantec Corporate Edition.
Should I remove Symantec and replace with MSE?

Can a free program really do better/more than a paid one?

 

Well, wait for your paid time is up I suppose, then get rid of Symantec.

Yes, free software often trumps paid software, and this is especially true in AV programs. MSE can catch nearly anything, and it's fairly lightweight compared to other programs from Symantec, Norton, and Webroot.

Just my two cents, but my parent's computer (desktop with AMD quad-core, 7gb ram) takes longer to scan using Webroot AV than my old laptop (Pentium dual core, 3gb ram) with MSE. Whenever I have to delete trojans and other programs that usually slip past Webroot (most recent example was a fake AV scareware program that disables task manager, blue-screened, etc), I take a flashdrive I have solely used for this situation and load up MSE, Malwarebytes, and RKill to clean up the parent's computer. Personally, paying for AV isn't worth it, and I'd rather take that money to buy hardware upgrades or something else that's nice.

 

Malwarebytes is a good program, but I use the free version and personally see no need to buy it.
Why?
Because I have Avast free for real-time protection with MBAM as an on-demand scanner.
Simple really, and no need to spend money either.

MBAM I personally find useful only if Avast potentially finds something.
Aside from that, running regular monthly scans is not a bad idea.

 

For me and where I'm at, the pro version with active scanning and blocking features was worth it. Plus paying helps the developers to continue to make it better.

 

Couldn't said it better myself
And as you can see here it does a good job at zero day threats: http://malwareresearchgroup.com/malware-tests/flash-test-results/

 

I recommend Avast Antivirus home with Online Armour freeware. I also second the recommendation of using Noscript with Firefox with Adblock Plus. Note, Online Armour's HIPS could be confusing unless you understand a little about what programs do concerning parent / child processes, loading of dll's, global hooks etc etc.

 

antivirus stuff is never worth paying for.

there, i said it. i guess now i have to duck and cover.. or run?

 

I bought it. So far the pro version has been pretty smart along with IE9 and Avast for the last 6 months. I still must use IE on some sites..

I hope the $24 encourages the programmers to continue the fine work.

So, personal choice..

 

Are you using Symantec provided by your company? You can use it if you are getting it for free from your company.

Each free/ paid security software has it's own advantages and disadvantages.

 

I agree with Dave. It's never worth paying for.

There are almost always free alternatives or other ways to secure your computer without paying.

I would just work on securing your computer through other methods.

 

Also remember that computer security depends just as much on your common sense (or more) than an actual security program on the computer. so long as you don't click on anything odd or download that "Free Youtube to MP3 Converter from WebsiteXYZ!", you should be fine 98% of the time, even if you don't run AV.

 

Common sense is second to your computer's security setup. People put way too much emphasis on it. While it's important it isn't the most important.

 

I use the paid version along with MSE. I sometimes get a message stating it has stopped a potentially malicious URL. Uses approx 36MB in resources on my stytem. Hard to really quantify, one virus in 16 months- no UAC. I'd buy it again. Hope this helps.

 

paying for security, but disabling for-free security like uac is rather oxymoronic, now, isn't it?

well, to each it's own.

 

So you guys are both running the paid version anlongside an AV and you dont find it has slowed down your system?
Id actually like to pay the 24$ or whatever it is simply to support the company and as a thank you for all the amazing help the freeware version has given me over the yrs.

What exactly is the difference between the free and py versions? Is the latter an AV? And if so, why run simultaneously with MSE?

 

The paid version can do real-time scanning, and I think a few extra options. I use MSE and the free Malwarebytes because I like the safety net of if X doesn't catch the malware, than maybe Y will. I let MSE do most of the grunt work, and I scan using Malwarebytes at full scan to make sure all the bad stuff is gone.

I haven't gotten any malware on my computer, though the above method I use works pretty well on the family desktop, which regulary gets crap because of Facebook spam, email spam, and malware-infested ads/links.

 

It didn't slow down my system.

The latest version 1.51 is lighter on the system than the previous version 1.50.
See also change log: Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware History - Malwarebytes Forum

The differences between free and pro are on this page: Malwarebytes : Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a free download that removes viruses and malware from your computer

 

I personally use Avast(free edition) and run Malwarebytes(also free) once a week or so in the rare case that I have a virus. And if I ever do have a virus, it's almost always(99 times out of 100) due to my own stupidity rather than a virus getting past Avast.

I don't use the free versions because I'm cheap. I use the free versions because they work fantastically and are very lightweight. Avast is all you need and it's great. The only other thing I would use is AVG(also free), but I prefer Avast.

Just my 6 cents

 

You can avoid a lot of problems from simply having a good backup system as well. I have lost count of the number of times I have seen posts of people cleaning up their systems after a malware attack. With a good backup system there is no need.

 

Exactly. Lots of gamers have their system imaged, if infected..flush drive. No system overhead

My road machine has spare 250G drive locked and loaded with apps and software keys for a 5 minute swap; this protects for the ultimate drive failure as well.

Back on topic, security software is still very needed. The free part is very welcome for eval; but to use that as an excuse to not pay for it if used day to day?

LOL, I'm glad I don't program for a living

 

When UAC came out with Vista, the common thinking was to remove because 'you know what you are doing' and leave it for all the others who don't know about computing i.e. our parents and friends with five toolbars showing in their browser. This became an automatic for me, reinforced by others who knew something about computers and that was that. A few months ago I participated in a spirited discussing about UAC and did come to the conclusion it's probably the single best think you can use to keep you system clean. I reinstalled for approx 1 month and found myself clicking clicking clicking. Aniti virus updates, CCleaner, other software updates, 'click to allow' ad nausea. It just drives me crazy. I evaluated the effort of always clicking to allow, verses the frequency of infections, and the effort involved if I get one. If there was a way to give UAC exceptions I would use it again.

davepermen, I've read many of your posts, especially in the SSD section, and your knowledge is great; a power poster no doubt. Please expound on your justification for keeping it on, dealing with the hassle of UAC, while knowing you have smart habits in keeping your system virus free anyway.

 

There's a whole host of wrong assumptions in the above. As a general rule, people who know what they are doing leave UAC on. It's only the wannabe "power users" and clueless dilettantes that turn it off, and they do so exactly because they do not understand how to run a computer.

There you go.

No idea why you would get UAC involved for av updates. If that is the case, then the problem is poorly designed av software, not UAC. Software installation requires system privileges, and that's the end of it. Deal with it.

Simple answer, UAC is no hassle at all if you know what you are doing. I never see a UAC prompt in regular operation. Otherwise, for software updates and installation I log in as the administrator, and I have admin-approval mode disabled, which means that UAC is disabled for the administrative account only. Of course, that requires the discipline to only, and exclusively, use the administrative account for the things it is meant for (system maintenance and software installation), and nothing else.

 

I never see UAC... only when using CCleaner, which I do maaaaaaaaaybe once a week.

 

Okay, okay, I'll do it your way. Seriously, this is the reason I keep reading NBR. Broad perspectives from people outside of my sphere of friends and acquaintances. I've made the necessary changes and I thank you for your response. Rep +1 to you.

 

Malwarebytes AM is the best malware scanner available right now but the paid version is kind of useless. Windows 7 UAC + a good security program (like MSE or avast) is all the real time protection you reasonably should need.

 

I got Malwarebytes Pro and Norton Internet Security free with my laptop. Great combo. The only thing is MWB tends to block lots of websites when browsing w/ Chrome. Kind of irritating.