Malwarebytes still in Security & Privacy panel

The right way to remove an app is go to finder > in applications search the app right click on the app and move to trash , restart the Mac and empty the trash .

But if you are looking a manual method to remove an app without using uninstaller button .

Click on finder > Go > Macintosh HD > Library

( a) Application support > Malwarebytes folder

( b) Extensions > com.malwarebytes.rtprotection.kext

( c ) LaunchAgents > com.malwarebytes.mbam.frontend.agent.plist

( d ) LaunchDaemons > com.malwarebytes.mbam.rtprotection.daemon.plist

> com.malwarebytes.mbam.rtprotection.daemon.plist

( e ) PrivilegedHelperTools > com.malwarebytes.HelperTool

No remnants were found in user library folders .

Open system preferences > in security and privacy > click on privacy if the malwarebytes is there select it and click on subtract sign to get it removed .

Check in download folder , select the files in folder and move to trash , restart the Mac and empty the trash to remove the app permanently .

This method is for free version of latest updated Malwarebytes Anti Malware for Mac , for paid version the file names could be different .

Kevin Cotham wrote:

What I finally had to do is to reinstall Mac OS X. Not an ideal solution, but it was what I had to do. Lesson: never install Malwarebytes. It IS malware.

Hello Kevin,

Unfortunately, anything involving malware is a difficult topic in the forums. I can't speak for John, but I know that I cringe every time a malware thread comes up. Just a few minutes ago I had to reply to one where someone (who isn't John Galt) had provided truly horrible advice. If you start off a thread on the wrong foot, it will only go downhill from there. There is a lot of forum history on this topic, and little of it good.

However, one of the few bright parts actually is MalwareBytes. It was developed by one of the members of this community. It is certainly not malware. But as it became more popular, it attracted attention, and was eventually purchased by an established security company.

The new owners wanted to turn it into a "real" security app. They added a kernel extension which is the source of your problem. Apple also contributed by making kernel extensions much more difficult to deal with in High Sierra. As far as I can tell, you seem to be suffering more from High Sierra's new kernel extension logic than anything else. Until you "approve" a kernel extension, it stays in limbo. You cannot uninstall from limbo.

What you probably should have done was approve the MalwareBytes kernel extension and then run the included uninstaller. I can't guarantee that would have worked. The Apple Support Communities Terms of Use require us to test our solutions to make sure they are correct. Neither I nor John Galt run MalwareBytes, so we can't do that. We also don't work for MalwareBytes so we don't want to provide free support for the MalwareBytes corporation in addition to the free support we provide to Apple. We do use Time Machine so that is a recommendation that we can make and we can guarantee will be successful.

there seem to be a number of High Sierra bugs involving that Allow button in Security & Privacy

Excellent advice, Thomas. I have a bit more on that which may help. To replace the now impossible-to-use IntelliType software for my MS ergo keyboard, I found ControllerMate (which works great). On that vendor's site are a fair number of users having issue installing the software because of known issues with High Sierra and kernel extensions.

It's a monotonous loop, but most users have found this to work when okaying the kernel extension doesn't work the first time, as it's supposed to.

1. Open the System Preferences and then the Security tab. There should be a button there asking to okay the use of the new kernel extension. Restart.

2. Check to see if the same question is there for the same kernel extension in the Security tab. If it is, okay it again and restart.

After a second time, the OS should finally be happy that the signed extension is safe and no mention of it should be found in the Security settings.

The reason to mention all of this may be the solution to Kevin's issue. So, Kevin. Download and run the MalwareBytes installer again. Double and triple check the System Preferences to make sure the kernel extension has been okayed by the OS, per the steps above. The important part being what Thomas mentioned - that the extension isn't stuck in a kind of limbo. Then uninstall MB for Mac according to that version's instructions.

Did you run the Malwarebytes uninstaller (as instructed) or did you just drag it to the trash?

Restore your Mac from a Time Machine backup preceding its installation.

Excerpted from Effective defenses against malware and other threats:

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.

Kevin Cotham wrote:

I know the right way to uninstall a program in OS X, basically the same as it has always been. I tried that. What I finally had to do is to reinstall Mac OS X. Not an ideal solution, but it was what I had to do. Lesson: never install Malwarebytes. It IS malware.

Not quite. The lesson you failed to learn was described in the very first reply to your question:

John Galt wrote:

Restore your Mac from a Time Machine backup preceding its installation.

Excerpted from Effective defenses against malware and other threats:

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.

I don't disagree. However, uninstallers that work with complete effectiveness are rare. In those cases I do what I wrote. If you are unwilling or unable to do that, then contact its developer for support.

Using malware bytes from years and there is no such a report it is harming system files , and even any kind of malware / adware like mackeeper gets installed , the app is strongly developed and is very much compatible with Mac to remove them in a short time .

In case if you don't want to use it's your decision the method I wrote is tried in my system you can manually delete ( it will prompt to enter admin name and password while deleting each folder and files ) or you can also use uninstaller button as mentioned in the thread .

Kevin Cotham wrote:

For the record, Malwarebytes is cited repeatedly as a reputable and useful piece of software. Having it behave as if it were malware, was never mentioned anywhere and NOT expected.

For the record, so are a lot of things. So are "ClamXav", "CleanMyMac", "TechTool", Disk "Warrior" and a plethora of additional products repeatedly cited on this site and others as "reputable and useful" products that you nevertheless do not need.

I always have a Time Machine backup.

Good. That is all you need to recover from the effects of installing junk, whether intentionally or inadvertently. That's all anyone needs.

NO software should be this difficult to remove.

I can't say I disagree, but things are not that simple. They have never been that simple. Recently, Apple provided the simple way with the Mac App Store, providing a model for app developers to use. Uninstalling an app obtained from it is as simple as dragging its icon to the Trash. Simple, but Mac users still have the freedom to install products obtained from elsewhere if they so choose.

It's your Mac. Do with it as you please. You may install whatever programs what you want (at the moment, and with few exceptions), but if you choose to do so then the consequences are yours. You own them. Complaining here about things that you willfully install and then have trouble uninstalling... well, that's just weird. It only illustrates and reinforces a lack of responsibility.

There are reasons I wrote that passage from Effective defenses against malware and other threats.

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.

It doesn't get any simpler or more fundamental than that. It describes the essence of responsible use for a Mac, a Windows PC, or anything else for that matter. You don't allow someone or some thing to intrude upon your happy home just because it's "highly recommended" do you? Same goes for a Mac. Stop complaining.

Kevin Cotham wrote:

My only complaint John is that there are people like you on forums meant to help people solve problems.

That's what I do here. Is your problem not yet solved?