Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Update Discussions

[plodr]

Two computers out of our four were asked to reboot, probably on the 27th and 28th. There was no notice about a new version ready to be installed, just a message asking to reboot. (Win 7 Home 64 bit and Win 7 Pro 32 bit)
When I check the version, all four computers are still on 4.2.1. So I'm clueless as to why two computers were asked to reboot.

[plodr]

I apologize, this is a copy and paste from a post at MajorGeeks.  The person cited an article but didn't provide a link. This also pertains to Windows 10, which I'm not running so I can't confirm nor deny.

Latest MBAM Appears To Kill Local Network Sharing / Visibility
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It seems an update to MBAM (sometime in the last week or two) has effectively disabled both Network Discovery and File and Printer Sharing in Windows 10. That is, even with those features enabled they are non-functional.
I have two nearly identical PCs (both running Windows 10 Pro and both running Malwarebytes) on a home network that is shared with a NAS and various other devices. After years of trouble-free networking I discovered that when I open File Explorer on either machine I was suddenly unable to see any other devices on the network. After hours of failed troubleshooting I finally called Microsoft Tech Support and allowed them to connect to one of my PCs remotely. After a very frustrating hour they asked if I would disable my antivirus software so they could perform further testing. Within seconds of turning off Malwarebytes all my missing devices became visible in File Explorer! My other PCs, the NAS, the home theater - everything. And when I re-opened MBAM they all disappeared again.
Unfortunately, I can find no option in the Malwarebytes setup to account for this nor could I find any documentation here or elsewhere to explain what's happening which begs the question: Is this a bug?

I quit Malawarebytes on my computers and they once again became visible in Windows File Explorer

[Digerati]

It is important, however, to disable MBAM in the Security Center:

Right. I did not mention that because Pete noted in his post to "tell it not to register with the MS security center.". But I think posting the procedures for doing that was a good idea. Thanks!

As for the Scan options, you said "the three options", I note there are four. I have the first three set to "On" and the fourth is "Off". I also note "Scan within archives" by default is already set to "On".

I wish the fourth option, "Use expert system algorithms to identify malicious files" was better explained. On the support page, all it says is, " By toggling this scan option on, you supplement existing detection methods to use expert system algorithms to identify malicious files." That does not really tell me what is going on. So at the bottom of that page, I selected Thumbs down, hoping it would ask why so I could explain what I was looking for. But it doesn't. :(

***

As for Network Discovery, all I can say there is I still see my other computers on my network and can access their folders and files with no problems. Then I noticed there's a new update, V4.2.2. So updated Malwarebytes and checked again. I still see my other computers.  :)

I do not share printers so cannot comment on that.

[ky331]

Malwarebytes released version 4.2.2.95 component package 1.0.1096 on Wednesday.

Among other changes, it claims to have fixed "Users report to lose connection (visibility) to the LAS or Network Neighborhood after upgrading to CU19"
[We are still investigating an instance where the problem seems to persist.]

https://forums.malwarebytes.com/topic/263168-malwarebytes-42/?tab=comments#comment-1416969

[winchester73]

See original ky331 release notice here: https://www.landzdown.com/anti-spyware-software/malwarebytes-4-0/msg203768/#msg203768

[Corrine]

Instead of just a prompt to restart after installing the Malwarebytes 4.2.3.96 update, there was a notice to save any open files because there would be a restart in 10 minutes.  The notice also include the option to restart now.

In other news, Malwarebytes is kicking Windows printers offline.  According to the BC article, this started happening almost a month ago.  If you've run into this issue, there is a work around in the article. 

[plodr]

Malwarebytes 4.2.3.96 on four Windows 7 computers - no restart of the system just a restart of the malwarebytes program. No printing problem.

I used my printer this morning. It is connected to the router by an old parallel print server.
I haven't turned on the other wifi printer because there was a bad HP firmware update last week so I'm not taking the chance that this will get pushed to the printer.

All four computers can print to either printer.

[Digerati]

My networked HP printer was tossed off line. That had never happened before. I really found that odd because my printer connects to my router and not a host PC. I noticed it was off-line shortly after I updated Malwarebytes but I did not connect the dots - and frankly, I am still not sure one led to the other.

All I did was power cycle the printer and all was (and has remained good).

[plodr]

New component package 1.0.1112 started rolling out on the 16th.
Details here: https://forums.malwarebytes.com/topic/263168-malwarebytes-42/

Two of the four computers had a popup yesterday about needing to reboot the computer to finish the install. I checked a 3rd computer, which did not get a popup and it is updated as of last night.

[pastywhitegurl]

I've updated now to  4.2.3  (pro)

When I was checking to make sure the "always register in Windows Security center" is still turned off, I noticed in the security section there is this option:
"use expert system algorythms to identify malicious files"  It is set to OFF.

In the MBAM forums, there is a discussion from July that says this feature is kind of a beta to test their AI and if you enable it you should report anything it shows up in a scan so they can fine tune the algorythms for false positives.
https://forums.malwarebytes.com/topic/261362-use-expert-system-algorithms-to-identify-malicious-files/

So my question ...is it still in that investigative process, or is it now a tested feature?   Seems like a good idea to enable it if its functional and not glitchy.   But I don't really care to be a beta tester of such stuffs.  What are y'all doing about it?

[Pierre75]

Seems like a good idea to enable it if its functional and not glitchy.

It is glitchy and not recommended for use at this stage. It has the potential to give BSOD and other problems - so I have read.

[pastywhitegurl]

Thanks for the input.  I will leave it off.  Do NOT want any BSOD's!

[Metallica]

Unless you are experiencing unidentified malware-like problems, these are my recommended settings:

[plodr]

Those are the default settings. I never change from the default. I figure the folks at MBAM know way more than me. If they decide something is ready for prime time, when they update, they will change what needs to be changed.

[pastywhitegurl]

Metallica, why don't you recommend turning the root-kit scan on?