Did you know that in 2018, almost two in three surveyed consumers suffered from some sort of data loss? While many of these were due to accidents, some were also caused by hardware or software failure.
Unfortunately, malicious programs are behind many of these failure incidents.
Worse, compared to 2018, there were over twice more malware detections on Macs in 2019. Macs have also shown twice the likelihood of becoming infected by malicious ads than PCs.
Enter Malwarebytes, an anti-malware program that promises protection against all these threats.
The big question now is, does this claim hold any truth? What makes this program different from other malware protection services? Most importantly, is it the best anti-malware for your Mac?
We’ve done the research to answer all these burning questions you have, so be sure to read on!
What Is Malwarebytes?
Malwarebytes is actually the name of a company that builds anti-malware programs. San Jose-based Marcin Kleczynski founded it back in 2008.
From there, he grew the brand to become one of Forbes’ “Most Promising Companies” in 2015. In 2015 alone, the company’s billings went over $100 million, representing a 100% growth in sales. It was also back then that Malwarebytes Anti-malware saw a total of 500 million downloads.
Malwarebytes Anti-malware is the company’s actual flagship product. The company says that it has kicked 5 billion malicious threats out of the world’s computers. There are also over 10,000 companies worldwide that use Malwarebytes.
So, What Does Malwarebytes Do Exactly?
Malwarebytes for Mac, PC, and Android is pretty much an anti-virus program, only smarter. It does the usual job of detecting viruses, such as those that affect software and hardware. Once found, the program then eradicates the malicious files from the infected device.
Both Malwarebytes Free and Premium also offer users fast malware scanning features. This gives you the flexibility to do a manual scan of your Mac in your own time, at your own pace. You can then use the program to clean and eliminate any malware found in your device.
How Good Is Malwarebytes Then and How Is It Any Better?
According to the company, Malwarebytes make use of artificial intelligence called “anomaly detection”. By definition, “anomaly” means something that slews away from the norm or the expected. As such, the program’s detection capability watches out for these deviations.
In that way, it detects potential threats before they become actual dangers. The “anomaly” doesn’t even have to be a known or a reported malware type. It can be a potentially unwanted program (PUP) that you downloaded without knowing.
Although “unwanted”, some PUPs get downloaded to devices with the users’ consent. However, that’s because many of them are easy to miss. Some of these are often slipped into the tiny print of download agreements, after all.
Still, that means that every time you download something to your Mac, you’re at risk of adware and spyware.
Malwarebytes can protect you from such potential dangers by detecting if they’re PUPs. If it does, it gets rid of the PUP before it even finds its way into your Apple computer.
Protection From Attack Vectors
Do you have your Mac synced with your phone’s iMessage or FaceTime? If so, then your Mac is also at risk of getting a malware-containing file sent to your phone.
A scammer or hacker, for instance, can insert a link to a malware download in an SMS or text message. Cybercriminals can also transfer malware via networks when you pick up their calls.
Malwarebytes claims to not only detect these “attack vectors” — it also says it shuts these down on the get-go. As such, you can think of the program as a sort of advanced phishing filter. Many of these scams and phishers often elude traditional anti-malware services.
Blinding Spies Who Can Monitor Your Online Actions
Aside from spyware, Malwarebytes also promises to safeguard you from online spies. These criminals (or cyber threats) can acquire covert details about your computer activities. They can then transmit the data (without you knowing) from your hard drive to theirs.
More than that, cyber spies can also record and decode your keystrokes. For example, they can catch character key patterns that you use most often. To them, these keystrokes are potential passwords, which they can then decode.
From there, they can gain illegitimate access to your accounts. We’re not only talking about emails or social media — they can get into your online bank accounts! They can also access your accounts in online stores and then use it to glean your payment details.
As with phishing threats, these spies can also bypass older antivirus services. Whereas Malwarebytes’ IA seems to be more effective in sniffing out these threats.
A Defense Against Harmful Websites
Pop-ups and redirects are a common method of viral infection in computers. This is especially common in sites that offer free streaming or publications. These sites rely on ads to fund their services, which they then offer for free to their visitors.
Unfortunately, not all these ads are legit, and most, if not all, are annoying. Since you can’t “blacklist” ads on these sites, you’re at risk of harmful downloads or re-directs.
Malwarebytes offers real-time prevention of these online dangers. If it senses danger, it will stop your Mac from pushing through with a download. If it detects an anomaly with a re-direct, it will cut off your connection with that website or webpage.
Try Out Malwarebytes Anti-Malware For Free Now
There you have it, a detailed look into what Malwarebytes is and what it can do to protect your Mac. With its advanced technology, including its AI, it may just be the kind of anti-malware you need. You can always try it out for free to see if it meets your needs, and from there, choose to upgrade to the paid plan.
To top it off, every free download comes with a 14-day Premium trial, so you can check out the paid plan’s features.
Ready for more geeky tech guides like this? Feel free to head over to this site’s Nerdy section then!
