I need some input.

[Guest Seagull]

Hello. I need some input on something I was researching on the internet.

I was doing some internet research on using Malwarebytes PRO along side an Anti-Virus program, as I am already aware that Malwarebytes PRO can be used in conjunction with any Anti-Virus but I found something interesting on a forum that got me thinking.

Well anyways what I read was about Overlapping in protection and my question and concern is, lets say, Your Anti-Virus finds a threat and Malwarebytes PRO also detects it at the same time or vise versa, would this cause a conflict between the two and/or what would happen if this was to happen?

I am a computer savvy person but I never thought of what would happen if both programs would find the same piece of malicious software at the same time, I know it is very well possible but what would the outcome be? Would both fight for control or would whoever gets to it first take care of it?

I believe in Malwarebytes PRO and I love the program but I am just curious on what would happen in a situation like that.

Any information would be appreciated and I could put my mind to rest on the matter.

Thank you.

[fivealive]

iv wondered about this my self at times but never bothered to ask the question

would be good to know though

[exile360]

Well anyways what I read was about Overlapping in protection and my question and concern is, lets say, Your Anti-Virus finds a threat and Malwarebytes PRO also detects it at the same time or vise versa, would this cause a conflict between the two and/or what would happen if this was to happen?

The scenario described cannot happen. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware detects threats on execution, not on access like an antivirus does. This means that the realtime protection in your antivirus will always have the first shot at detecting a threat, and the only way Malwarebytes would even get a chance to see it would be if the antivirus missed the threat completely and allowed the threat to execute, at which point Malwarebytes Anti-Malware would block the threat, displaying the detection pop-up, allowing the user to quarantine it.

Now, let us suppose that somehow a simultaneous detection did occur. In such a (very hypothetical, as I've never seen it, nor ever seen it reported) situation, the solution is quite simple. Just have one of the security products ignore the threat and allow the other to quarantine it (I've had to do this with Windows Defender and my antivirus in the past, because Windows Defender does scan in realtime like an antivirus does).

[MrCharlie]

That's been my experience, I run MB and MSE.

MSE usually pops up first.

The other day I was playing with my host file and immediately MSE came up.

MrC

[exile360]

That's been my experience, I run MB and MSE.

MSE usually pops up first.

The other day I was playing with my host file and immediately MSE came up.

MrC

Exactly. The only times I've ever seen detections from Malwarebytes Anti-Malware's realtime protection, I've never seen the antivirus pop up at all, meaning the AV missed it completely, and if I hadn't had Malwarebytes Anti-Malware PRO running, I would have been infected without my antivirus being able to do anything about it.

[Guest Seagull]

Thank you exile360, I was curious to what would be the outcome of that kind of situation.

Some forums I found people were strongly advising against two realtime scanners of any kind. Thus why I wanted to ask about what would happen if both would discover it.

I have also never seen a simultaneous detection, but I guess anything can happen, and was just wondering how it would play out.

Thank you again exile360 for your great explanation, it makes sense to me and I can put my mind at rest on the matter now.

[mountaintree16]

I use MSE and Mbam too, (previously used KAV & Mbam), and both have always run smooth as silk together!

I hardly run into an instance where I even get a notification about a nasty trying to get in, but when I did, sometimes KAV would pop up first or sometimes MBAM... and mind you, I only got this when using the SpyCar website! I actually had to disable KAV so that Mbam could do its job with the SpyCar site

[exile360]

I actually had to disable KAV so that Mbam could do it's job with the SpyCar site

Exactly, and that's a prime example of what I'm referring to. Since there is an overlap in detection (both Kaspersky and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware have definitions for it), your antivirus should hit it first, and Malwarebytes should never see it unless you let it past your AV (by disabling Kaspersky).

This is how Malwarebytes Anti-Malware was designed to function, and the reason that we say with confidence that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware should be able to co-exist with a user's antivirus and is also one of the reasons that time and time again we must remind people that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is NOT an antivirus.