What is Malwarebytes Anti Malware for Mac? Is this safe?

Yes

1. It's an adware removal tool.

2. Yes.

3. It'll only be useful if you're getting large numbers of ad popups in your web browsers, and isn't necessary in any case; the adware can be removed manually.

(132672)

MalewareBytes is absolutely safe for Macs. It is a tool formerly called AdwareMedic that was written by a security specialist named Thomas Reed who is a respected member of the Apple Support Communities. Tom recently joined the MalewareBytes team. His software is very safe and a very powerful tool to keep your Mac clean of adware and malware.

TThomas has his own site at http://www.thesafemac.com

Your question brings up the subject of removing adware. This is a general comment on that subject.

Under no circumstances should you ever allow anti-virus software to delete something for you.

The only tools that anyone needs to detect and remove adware are the Finder and a web browser, both of which you already have. Anyone who has enough computer skill to install adware can just as well remove it without using anything else.

Apple doesn't endorse any third-party "anti-virus" or "anti-malware" product. Here and here are its general statements about malware protection, and here are its instructions for removing the most common types of ad-injection malware.

You become infected with malware by downloading unknown software without doing research to determine whether it's safe. If you keep making that mistake, the same, and worse, will keep happening, and no anti-malware will rescue you. Your own intelligence and caution are the only reliable defense.

The Windows/Android anti-malware industry had more than $75 billion in sales in 2014 [source: Gartner, Inc.] Its marketing strategy is to convince people that they're helpless against malware attack unless they use its products. But with all that anti-malware, the Windows and Android platforms are still infested with malware—most of it far more harmful than mere adware. The same can be expected to happen to the Mac platform if its users trust the same industry to protect them, instead of protecting themselves.

You are not helpless, and you don't have to give full control of your computer—and your data—to strangers in order to be rid of adware.

These are generalities. Regarding the "malwarebytes" product in particular, you may be told that there are no reports that is has caused damage. In fact, I know of two such reports: one by ASC user Big Kev55 in this thread, and one by LizardMBP in this thread. Read those reports and draw your own conclusions. There are also many reports that the Windows version of the product has deleted essential Windows system files; see, for example, this thread on the developer's own support forum.

Whether the software damages the system or not, it takes full adminstrative control and connects to a server controlled by the developer. The developer's privacy policy, linked directly to the Mac product page, reads in part as follows:

"Without limiting the Privacy Policy, you agree that Malwarebytes may track certain data it obtains from your Computer including data about any malicious software or other threats flagged by the Software, data about your license, data about what version of the Software you are using and what operating conditions it runs under and data concerning your geographic location."

(Emphasis added.) So the developer admits to tracking your location, as well as other unspecified data, and gives itself the legal right to collect any data it chooses. How it uses that right, you don't know. By running the software, you accept these terms.

In case there's any doubt about whether this "anti-malware" product is really anti-malware, the developer's own description distinguishes between adware and malware, and specifically mentions removing malware as a selling point six times. A self-identified employee of the developer wrote in an ASC discussion, "Actually, it's also a malware removal app..." (emphasis added.)

The question then is: as a security-conscious computer user, do you want to take such risks when there is no offsetting benefit?

<Edited by Host>

in response to xippyx

Please note that the so called damage caused by AdWare Medic in the thread by LizardMBP was nothing more than a fabricated web of lies. When questioned by the author of AdWare Medic regarding test results and times of emails, etc, the OP (LizardMBP) was caught in this web of lies and requested the thread be deleted. The hosts granted that wish. YOU can draw your conclusions from that action.

Also, a high ranking helper here at ASC is quoted as saying:

"The site is hosted by Apple, which does not allow it to be used to distribute harmful software"

he is correct.

Whether or not a particular product is "safe" is less relevant than the practice of downloading and installing something in an effort to solve problems caused by downloading and installing something else. That practice is not consistent with keeping one's Mac "safe". There is an ample selection of Mac software claiming it is completely "safe" to use, while in reality those products cause more misery than the problems they claim to address. Having never used it, I am not including "Malwarebytes Anti Malware for Mac" in that category, but I have an inherent distrust of any product claiming to cure all ills by performing actions that a user can perform without it. That vigilance has served me well since the inception of computing.

As for whether you need it, the answer is "no". If you suspect your Mac has been affected by adware, Apple provides guidance here: Stop pop-up ads and adware in Safari - Apple Support.

It is best to avoid the problem altogether, by learning how to recognize adware so that you are not deceived into installing it to begin with. To learn how to do that read How to install adware.

The following principles serve as general guidelines for keeping your Mac secure from threats that exist now and are certain to exist in the future. Sections are equally applicable to any information-containing appliance that uses the Internet for communication: Macs, PCs, iOS devices... and whatever else that may come along.

Eventually, this will all be a moot point as technology evolves toward devices whose software cannot be altered by mere end users. In other words, enjoy the ability to mess up your Mac while you still can.

There will always be threats to your information security associated with using any Internet - connected communications tool:

1. You can mitigate those threats by following commonsense practices
2. Delegating that responsibility to software is an ineffective defense
3. Assuming that any product will protect you from those threats is a hazardous attitude that is likely to result in neglecting point #1 above.

OS X already includes everything it needs to protect itself from viruses and malware. Keep it that way with software updates from Apple.

A much better question is "how should I protect my Mac":

• Never install any product that claims to "clean up", "speed up", "optimize", "boost" or "accelerate" your Mac; to "wash" it, "tune" it, or to make it "shiny". Those claims are absurd.

  Such products are very aggressively marketed. They are all scams.

• Never install pirated or "cracked" software, software obtained from dubious websites, or other questionable sources.
  • Illegally obtained software is almost certain to contain malware.
  • "Questionable sources" include but are not limited to spontaneously appearing web pages or popups, download hosting sites such as C net dot com, Softonic dot com, Soft pedia dot com, Download dot com, Mac Update dot com, or any other site whose revenue is primarily derived from junk product advertisements.
  • If you need to install software that isn't available from the Mac App Store, obtain it only from legitimate sources authorized by the software's developer.
• Don’t supply your password in response to a popup window requesting it, unless you know what it is and the reason your credentials are required.
• Don’t open email attachments from email addresses that you do not recognize, or click links contained in an email:
  • Most of these are scams that direct you to fraudulent sites that attempt to convince you to disclose personal information.
  • Such "phishing" attempts are the 21st century equivalent of a social exploit that has existed since the dawn of civilization. Don’t fall for it.
  • Apple will never ask you to reveal personal information in an email. If you receive an unexpected email from Apple saying your account will be closed unless you take immediate action, just ignore it. If your iCloud, iTunes, or App Store account becomes disabled for valid reasons, you will know when you try to buy something or log in to this support site, and are unable to.
• Don’t install browser extensions unless you understand their purpose:

  Go to the Safari menu > Preferences > Extensions. If you see any extensions that you do not recognize or understand, simply click the Uninstall button and they will be gone.

• Don’t install Java unless you are certain that you need it:
  • Java, a non-Apple product, is a potential vector for malware. If you are required to use Java, be mindful of that possibility.
  • Java can be disabled in System Preferences.
  • Despite its name JavaScript is unrelated to Java. No malware can infect your Mac through JavaScript. It’s OK to leave it enabled.
  • The same precaution applies to Adobe Flash Player. Newly discovered Flash vulnerabilities appear almost weekly.
• Beware spontaneous popups: Safari menu > Preferences > Security > check "Block popup windows".
  • Popup windows are useful and required for some websites, but unsolicited popups are commonly used to deceive people into installing unwanted software they would never intentionally install.
  • The mere appearance of a popup itself does not infect your Mac with anything malicious, but many contain resource-hungry code that will slow down Internet browsing.
  • If you ever receive a popup window indicating that your Mac is infested with some ick or that you won some prize, it is 100% fraudulent. Ignore it.
  • The same goes for a spontaneously appearing dialog insisting that you upgrade your video player right this instant. Such popups are frequently associated with sites that promise to deliver "free" movies, music, or other copyrighted content that is not normally "free".
  • If you find Safari has locked up, leaving you unable to dismiss the page, read Phony "tech support" / "ransomware" popups and web pages for the solution.
• Ignore hyperventilating popular media outlets that thrive by promoting fear and discord with entertainment products arrogantly presented as "news". Learn what real threats actually exist and how to arm yourself against them:
  • The most serious threat to your data security is phishing. Most of these attempts are pathetic and are easily recognized, but that hasn't stopped prominent public figures from recently succumbing to this age-old scam.
  • OS X viruses do not exist, but intentionally malicious or poorly written code, created by either nefarious or inept individuals, is nothing new.
  • Never install something without first knowing what it is, what it does, how it works, and how to get rid of it when you don’t want it any more.
  • If you elect to use "anti-virus" software, familiarize yourself with its limitations and potential to cause adverse effects, and apply the principle immediately preceding this one.
  • Most such utilities will only slow down and destabilize your Mac while they look for viruses that do not exist, conveying no benefit whatsoever - other than to make you "feel good" about security, when you should actually be exercising sound judgment, derived from accurate knowledge, based on verifiable facts.
• Do install updates from Apple as they become available. No one knows more about Macs and how to protect them than the company that builds them.

Summary: Use common sense and caution when you use your Mac, just like you would in any social context. There is no product, utility, or magic talisman that can protect you from all the evils of mankind.

Let me answer your question in a different way. The particular merits of the "malwarebytes" product are not important here. Avoiding malware infection is a matter of following safe computing practices on the Internet. If you think that any kind of software—not just "malwarebytes," but anything—is going to protect you or rescue you from the consequences of unsafe behavior, that is very much the opposite of safety. Nothing is more dangerous than a false sense of security. As for whether you need such software, the answer is "absolutely not."

Linc Davis wrote:

Regarding the "malwarebytes" product in particular, you may be told that there are no reports that is has caused damage. In fact, I know of two such reports: one by ASC user Big Kev55 in this thread, and one by LizardMBP in this thread. Read those reports and draw your own conclusions. There are also many reports that the Windows version of the product has deleted essential Windows system files; see, for example, this thread on the developer's own support forum.

Whether the software damages the system or not, it takes full adminstrative control and connects to a server controlled by the developer.

These statements are outright libel. There is no actual evidence that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac has caused any damage to any systems. Linc knows that the two reports he's using to attack this software present only two users opinions without any evidence to back them up, and in one case the report was filled with numerous false statements that were caught and resulted in the post getting removed.

I don't deny the possibility of bugs in any piece of software. However, I also know that many people without a lot of tech experience frequently mis-attribute problems. Case in point, there were numerous complaints here not long ago about how upgrading to Yosemite "caused" adware problems. This was not at all true, but because for some people, adware problems coincided in time with the upgrade, they blamed the update. This is not their fault, but neither would it be appropriate for an expert who knows better to start running around waving his hands and yelling "Yosemite installs adware!"

For the record, I, as the original developer of AdwareMedic (which is now Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac), have never seen a single confirmed case of a system or browser damaged by either AdwareMedic or Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac. If it were to happen at some point in the future, I would address it immediately, but as far as I can tell, it still hasn't happened yet.

As for the implication that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac "takes full control and connects to a server controlled by the developer" - first, the statement that the software "takes full control" is blatantly false. The Malwarebytes app takes full control of your computer no more than any other third-party app, such as OmniDiskSweeper or GrandPerspective, both of which Linc has been known to recommend running with root privileges.

As for the implications that something fishy is going on with the communication to the server, one has only to use tcpdump to monitor the data being sent and received by Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac. Linc surely knows how this is done, and could verify that the communications are to check for and download updates. Since he has not done so and chooses to make up stories about the network activity instead is deceitful.

In case there's any doubt about whether this "anti-malware" product is really anti-malware, the developer's own description distinguishes between adware and malware, and specifically mentions removing malware as a selling point six times. A self-identified employee of the developer wrote in an ASC discussion, "Actually, it's also a malware removal app..."

I fail to understand the point of this paragraph. Are you criticizing Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac for being what it claims to be, or me for giving an accurate description of the software? Or perhaps you're trying to unfairly judge Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac within an entire class of software without any consideration for the actual behavior and features of it as an individual anti-malware app?

This makes no sense.

Linc has the same copypasta'd spiel he puts in any thread where someone even obliquely mentions Malwarebytes or any other program similar in nature. I've seen several people tell him that those comments he relies on for telling other people not to use it were found to be lies, but I've never seen him respond to that.

I've observed much the same.