The product, now a full-scale antivirus utility, defaults to registering with Security Center, which means that when it comes on the scene, Windows Defender goes to sleep. Malwarebytes used to perform some clever tricks with Windows' Security Center to let it work alongside Microsoft Windows Defender Security Center, and included configuration options to let it work along with other third-party solutions.

However, the audience of consumers who want to pay for two security products isn't huge. There's no problem using it as a companion to, say, Kaspersky or Bitdefender. Plays Well With Othersįor years, press materials from Malwarebytes have emphasized that even the premium-level program is compatible with other antivirus solutions. Quick scan, custom scan, and scan scheduling are Premium-only features. You can choose an hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly scan, or you can set it to scan any time the system reboots.

The scan scheduler lets you run a full, quick, or custom scan on a regular basis.

The current version, reviewed here, is Malwarebytes Premium 4.3. Version 2 came out a couple of years before that. The release of version 4 in 2019 was the first whole-number update since version 3 in 2016. Some companies assign a new product version every year, while others eschew product version numbers completely. It earned great scores in our hands-on tests and has begun to get good ratings from the independent testing labs as well. Behavior-based analysis is a must-have in this world, and Malwarebytes Premium offers exactly that, along with other layers of protection. Recognizing malware by just looking at files is utterly insufficient. Today, though, we’re afflicted with polymorphic malware, pernicious ransomware, and other advanced attacks. Researchers even named some based on the number of bytes they’d add to an infected file. Those early viruses were predictable and easily detected using simple techniques. The earliest antivirus products specifically protected against computer viruses, programs that spread by injecting their code into other programs. How to Set Up Two-Factor Authentication.How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac.How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 Files.How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill.How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad.How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages.

Is malwarebytes an antivirus