Malwarebytes: Difference between revisions

{{InfoboxProductLine

| Title = Malwarebytes

| Release Year =2007

| Product Type =Software

| In Production =Yes

| Official Website =http://malwarebytes.com/  

}}'''{{Wplink|Malwarebytes_(software)|Malwarebytes}}''' is an anti-virus software for Microsoft Windows, macOS, ChromeOS, Android, and iOS, developed by '''{{Wplink|Malwarebytes|Malwarebytes Corporation}}'''. It is available in a free version, which scans for and removes malware when started manually, and a paid version, which additionally provides scheduled scans, real-time protection and a flash-memory scanner.

'''Malwarebytes Privacy VPN''' is a rebranded version of {{Wplink|Mullvad|Mullvad VPN}} with privacy concerns. The main concern is that Malwarebytes Privacy VPN may compromise user privacy through its ambiguous data handling practices and ability to log user information, despite its no-logs promotion. This is a warning sign for users looking for genuine privacy and anonymity.

==Controversies==

===Privacy VPN===

In April of 2020, Malwarebytes Labs introduced their Privacy VPN, emphasizing the importance of using a VPN that respects user privacy:<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 Apr 2020 |title=Introducing Malwarebytes Privacy |url=https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/malwarebytes-news/2020/04/introducing-malwarebytes-privacy |url-status=live |access-date=15 Mar 2025 |website=[[Malwarebytes Labs]]}}</ref><blockquote>One important note we consistently emphasize is that it’s important to choose a VPN that does what it promises and doesn’t abuse your data. To make that choice a little easier, we’ve developed our own VPN that Malwarebytes users can trust to protect your data and privacy every time you go online.</blockquote>

However, Malwarebytes VPN is based on Mullvad VPN and various open source tools,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Voisin |first=Julien |date=10 Oct 2021 |title=Malwarebytes' privacy VPN is Mullvad in a shady trenchcoat |url=https://dustri.org/b/malwarebytes-privacy-vpn-is-mullvad-in-a-shady-trenchcoat.html |url-status=live |access-date=15 Mar 2025 |website=[[dustri.org]]}}</ref> and nothing is properly disclosed on the official website. On Mullvad site, Malwarebytes is mentioned as partner<ref>{{Cite web |title=Partnerships and Resellers |url=https://mullvad.net/en/help/partnerships-and-resellers |url-status=live |access-date=15 Mar 2025 |website=[[Mullvad]]}}</ref>. The software is based on open source code, used without contributing back:

*<code>7z.ddl</code>,  licensed under [https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Lesser_General_Public_License LGPL] and {{Wplink|BSD licenses|BSD}}.

*<code>wintun.ddl</code>,  version 0.13, from the [https://www.wintun.net/ Wintun project].

*[https://openssl-library.org/ OpenSSL] 1.1.0h<ref>{{Cite web |title=OpenSSL 1.1.0 < 1.1.0d Multiple Vulnerabilities |url=https://www.tenable.com/plugins/nessus/96874 |url-status=live |access-date=15 Mar 2025 |website=[[Tenable]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |[email protected] vulnerabilities |url=https://security.snyk.io/package/npm/openssl/1.1.0 |url-status=live |access-date=15 Mar 2025 |website=[[snyk]]}}</ref>

*[https://www.pcre.org/ pcre2]<ref>{{Cite web |title=pcre vulnerabilities |url=https://security.snyk.io/package/linux/centos%3A7/pcre |url-status=live |access-date=15 Mar 2025 |website=[[snyk]]}}</ref>

The '''Functional Data''' section of the privacy policy states:<blockquote>We collect data that is necessary for the functionality of the software or for our performance of providing the software to you. For example, we may need to collect system processes and behaviors in order to perform system rollback and recovery operations.</blockquote>Malwarebytes website also contains ads trackers and third-party cookies.<ref>{{Cite web |title=malwarebytes.com — Blacklight Search Results |url=https://themarkup.org/blacklight?url=malwarebytes.com&device=mobile&location=us&force=false |website=The Markup |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> Also, on each webpage, a seemingly harmless GIF file (<code><nowiki>https://genesis.malwarebytes.com/api/v1/wai.gif</nowiki></code>) is being loaded. The GIF returns JSON data, which is possibly being used for fingerprinting.<ref name=":0" /> {{Wplink|Fingerprint (computing)|Fingerprinting}} is a method to identify and track users uniquely based on the characteristics of their device and browser, which raises additional privacy issues regarding Malwarebytes' behavior.

{{Placeholder box|Link to relevant theme articles or products with similar incidents.}}