Don't know how to answer this MBAM query

pastywhitegurl · June 03, 2021, 09:44:38 PM

Just updated MBAM premium and got this pop up on my Edge browser that has had the MBAM browser guard installed for some time now.

QuoteHave Malwarebytes Premium installed?

Give Malwarebytes Browser Guard permission to manage blocked website warnings for Premium.
Decline - Allow

Not sure if allowing that is a good thing or not. what do the resident guru's say?

Corrine · June 03, 2021, 10:21:56 PM

I suggest you read about Malwarebytes Browser Guard and make your decision based on what it does. See Browser Guard - Blocks ads, scams, and trackers.

Let us know your decision. :)

ky331 · June 03, 2021, 11:30:51 PM

I noticed/received that prompt today as well.

I believe the concern is that people using both MalwareBytes Browser Guard (browser extension) in addition to MalwareBytes Premium were receiving duplicate/redundant warnings from both when a website was blocked.

By allowing BrowserGuard to "manage" blocked website warnings for Premium, it will hide/suppress the (duplicative) blocking warnings generated by Premium.
By declining, one may see (duplicative) warnings, one generated by BrowserGuard, and another generated by Premium.

As I rarely get any warnings (I try to practice safe-surfing), I'd rather get an occasional warning in duplicate than possibly risk having one copy suppressed. If it ever reaches the point where I experience and get fed-up with duplicative warnings, I might reconsider this decision.

pastywhitegurl · June 03, 2021, 11:35:29 PM

Thank you ky, that makes sense.

The only thing I could find when searching was that sometimes browser guard was too aggressive on blocking sites, but nothing about how it works together with the real-time MBAM.

ky331 · June 03, 2021, 11:46:30 PM

I found the following article after posting:
https://support.malwarebytes.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500008507402-Manage-website-warnings-in-Malwarebytes-Browser-Guard

Apparently, this new "feature" applies to Chrome (and Chromium-based browsers, such as Edge-Chromium) [but I am NOT seeing it in Firefox].

pastywhitegurl · June 04, 2021, 01:18:47 AM

Thanks for that. So you can toggle it in the Browser Guard settings.

I'm kind of with you though.....two eyes watching seems better than just one.

Digerati · June 04, 2021, 02:09:32 PM

For the record, if you have Malwarebytes installed, whenever there is a version upgrade (as just recently happened) the installer program WILL attempt to install their Browser Guard too. Just another reason to ALWAYS chose the custom install option when installing/upgrading any program - so you are given and have the option to opt out of extra and often unwanted, or unnecessary stuff being foisted on our systems.

If you don't look for and select the custom install option, the program (or update) will install with the default options - options you may not want.

pastywhitegurl · June 04, 2021, 03:07:56 PM

Yes, I was offered the install of the browser guard on this most recent MBAM update. I declined it. I found this a bit confusing as I already had installed it on Edge.

If I had allowed it during the update, would it have installed it on my other browsers that don't have the extension installed?

Digerati · June 04, 2021, 03:28:44 PM

QuoteIf I had allowed it during the update, would it have installed it on my other browsers that don't have the extension installed?

Well, I don't know what other browsers you have but according the Browser Guard website, it works with Edge, Chrome and Firefox so I would assume it would have installed itself in those.

pastywhitegurl · June 04, 2021, 09:16:04 PM

Thanks. Yes, have Firefox and Chrome installed, also Palemoon and Brave, but use them mostly for testing web design.

I know we give MBAM like super high level permissions to do its job. I guess this kind of illustrates that since they can install things in other programs.

pastywhitegurl · June 08, 2021, 01:27:17 AM

I've decided not to enable browser guard to "manage" MBAM Pro. It just seems wrong-- like the underling is ordering the boss around.

If it turns out I start to get a lot of annoying duplicate warnings, I may reconsider, but I'm pretty careful about sites I visit, so I don't get warnings very often. It should work out to be a non-issue for the most part.

Digerati · June 08, 2021, 02:25:31 PM

QuoteI've decided not to enable browser guard to "manage" MBAM Pro. It just seems wrong-- like the underling is ordering the boss around.

If you are saying disabling that feature is like you, the underling, ordering around the boss, Malwarebytes, I don't see it that way.

First, Malwarebytes is not the boss, you are. And one of your primary duties is to keep your computer's security current and effective without wasting resources (RAM, CPU cycles and disk space) on unnecessary tasks. This includes avoiding duplication of efforts.

Malwarebytes is your underling. Allowing it to do whatever it wants (by allowing all the default settings and options) is like allowing the underling to order you around. In this case, it is like Malwarebytes (your employee) forcing you to hire his cousin to do a job someone else is already doing! :(

If you already use an ad blocker in Chrome (or Edge or Firefox) like AdBlock Plus, uBlock Origin, or my new favorite, AdGuard, why duplicate the effort with Browser Guard?

The user (you) is always the weakest link in security. But the user is also the one responsible for ensuring the computer's security is current and effective. You're the boss.

pastywhitegurl · June 09, 2021, 07:17:27 PM

What I was saying was the MB browser guard is the underling to MBAM Pro. So why should Browser Guard be calling the shots instead of MBAM Pro?

I know I am the boss of them all. Nay, I am the queen. ^_^

Good point about browser guard overlapping the other extensions. But I thought that it had some unique blocking feature. maybe it was PUPs or scams. I'll have to revisit.

Digerati · June 10, 2021, 03:23:01 PM

QuoteWhat I was saying was the MB browser guard is the underling to MBAM Pro.

"Underling"? Ah! I see what you are saying now, but I don't agree with that assessment.

Browser Guard is totally separate and independent of Malwarebytes. You don't have to have Malwarebytes installed to use Browser Guard.

I would call Browser Guard and Malwarebytes "siblings", in the same way Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel are siblings. That is, they are just two programs made by the same software company.