Malwarebytes uses all my RAM

[spilledinc]

My machine has become unusable in the last couple of days.  Malwarebytes uses all my memory and makes it virtually impossible to use the machine for anything else.  I uninstalled and re-installed Malwarebytes to make sure I had the most up to date version of everything to see if that made a difference and no change.  It starts off slowly using more and more RAM until (within about 3 minutes) it is using 97%+ of the memory and making it nearly impossible to open up any other programs.  Just to send an email to Malwarebytes tech support using outlook took me over 30 minutes. 

I switched from Avast to this because I tried it out and it caught some PUPs that Avast missed so I purchased Malwarebytes.  Now that my computer has become virtually useless for anything other than running Malwarebytes, I guess you could say it is more secure.  If you can't get email or get on the internet with the machine, it's the ultimate in PC security. 

Since I have thus far received no response from Malwarebytes, I will have to assume that my best course of action is to remove the product and get something else, cancelling my subscription before it renews. 

Any suggestions on a good replacement?  Please post suggestions here.  I'm trying to find a good program that will allow me to still use the machine.

Thank you.

[AlexSmith]

We're sorry you had issues with our program today. We've addressed the issue you described and here's what you need to do to fix it.

*** How to resolve / verify you have the fixed update package ***

Malwarebytes 3

Update package version 1.0.3803 (Malwarebytes 3) or v2018.01.27.12 (Malwarebytes 2.x) or higher contains the fix

1. Open Malwarebytes
2. Turn OFF web protection by Clicking on “settings”, click to turn web protection OFF
3. Under Scan Status (right side), click next to “Updates” to have Malwarebytes download the latest database
4. Restart PC (Note it may take up to 2 restarts after the update to stabilize the system)

To confirm that you are on the latest database please follow the steps below:

1. Open Malwarebytes
2. Click on Settings
3. Click on the About tab
4. Next to “Update package version” if you see version 1.0.3803 or higher you are on the latest database which addresses the issue.

To learn more about what happened, please go here:

If you continue to have issues or experience new ones, please let us know and we will go from there.

[JDougherty]

I am having the same problem with cloud end points.  Most of the affected workstations are shown as offline in the cloud interface although they are up and running and connected to the internet.  Will these machines be able to update the end point client although they don't appear online in our account or do I need to preform some action on each?

[spilledinc]

This is the version I'm using.  Perhaps you didn't read my post about uninstalling and re-installing to make sure I had the latest version.

Same problem still exists.  I turned off web protection and that seems to help except now I get constant popups telling me 'Real-Time Protection turned off'.  So, I'm asking myself, "Why would I pay for a product to protect me when the only way to have in on the machine without it making the machine unusable is to turn off the protection?"  Isn't the point of the software to protect my machine and can it do that if I turn it off as you suggest.  If it is off, what is the point of having it on my machine, let alone to pay for it.  \

So what I gather here is that I have purchased a product from you that if I use it makes my machine unusable and the solution is to turn it off, leaving my machine vulnerable but usable thus making having this software a pointless expense.  Correct?

[spilledinc]

By the way, still looking for suggestions on a good replacement, please post below.

[AlexSmith]

@spilledinc sorry to hear you are still having issues and I apologize if it appeared I over looked your uninstall comment. Since I couldn't confirm your version info and your symptoms matched that issue, I posted that response. I apologize that was the incorrect solution to offer you.

With that being said, I would love the opportunity to help get things fixed and running properly.

It's possible that your web protection module might have become corrupted, which can be repaired without reinstalling Malwarebytes. Can you please try this and see if it solves your problem?:

1. Right click the Malwarebytes icon in the notification area/system tray and select Quit Malwarebytes
2. Launch Command Prompt as Administrator
3. Type the following: sc delete mbamwebprotection
4. Reboot the computer
5. Right click the Malwarebytes icon in the notification area/system tray and select Web Protection to re-enable it

If things are still being evil after that, then let's try starting off fresh and clean with everything by using the Malwarebytes Cleanup Utility (aka MB-Clean):

1. Download the latest version of MB-Clean
2. Close all open applications
3. Double-click and run mb-clean.exe. A prompt with an option to clean up the system will appear:
   • Yes - will proceed with backing up the license key (Malwarebytes 3.x only) and initiating the cleanup process
   • No - will exit the utility
4. Once the cleanup process is completed, a prompt will appear:
   • Yes – will proceed and post reboot you will be prompted to continue with the downloading, installation and activation of latest version of Malwarebytes 3.x
   • No – will exit the utility and you will not be prompted (post reboot) to download, reinstall and re-activate (not recommended)
     • We recommend rebooting immediately. Additionally, stopping at this step is not recommended and will most likely not resolve your issue(s).
5. Upon reboot, a prompt will appear:
   • Yes - will download, install and activate the latest version of Malwarebytes 3.x
   • No - will exit the utility and the cleanup process is complete
     • Choose this option if you do not want to download, install and activate the latest version of Malwarebytes 3.x
   • A log file ("mb-clean-results.txt") will be on your desktop. This might be needed if things didn't work out as planned.

What If Things Still Aren't Resolved?
If you continue to encounter issues after all of the above, then we will need some technical logs to dig in to this issue a little deeper. Please run these two tools and then attach the logs in your next reply:

NOTE: The tools and the information obtained is safe and not harmful to your privacy or your computer, please allow the programs to run if blocked by your system.

• Farbar Recovery Scan Tool (FRST)
  1. Download FRST and save it to your desktop.
     • FRST for Windows 64-Bit
     • FRST for Windows 32-Bit
       Note: You need to run the version compatible with your system. Check here if you're not sure if your computer is 32-bit or 64-bit
  2. Double-click to run FRST and when the tool opens click "Yes" to the disclaimer
  3. Press the "Scan" button
  4. This will produce two files in the same location (directory) as FRST: FRST.txt and Addition.txt
     • Leave the log files in the current location, they will be automatically collected by mb-check once you complete the next set of instructions
• MB-Check
  1. Download MB-Check and save to your desktop
  2. Double-click to run MB-Check and within a few second the command window will open, press "Enter" to accept the EULA then click "OK" 
  3. This will produce one log file on your desktop: mb-check-results.zip
     • This file will include the FRST logs generated from the previous set of instructions
     • Attach this file to your forum post by clicking on the "Drag files here to attach, or choose files..." or simply drag the file to the attachment area

[Porthos]

20 minutes ago, spilledinc said:

Same problem still exists.  I turned off web protection and that seems to help except now I get constant popups telling me 'Real-Time Protection turned off'.  So, I'm asking myself, "Why would I pay for a product to protect me when the only way to have in on the machine without it making the machine unusable is to turn off the protection?" 

 

20 minutes ago, spilledinc said:

Perhaps you didn't read my post about uninstalling and re-installing

Did you use the MB clean tool to do the uninstall and reinstall?

19 minutes ago, spilledinc said:

By the way, still looking for suggestions on a good replacement, please post below.

I don't work for the company but I will tell you I would not use anything else on any computer I own or service.

[AlexSmith]

23 minutes ago, JDougherty said:

I am having the same problem with cloud end points.  Most of the affected workstations are shown as offline in the cloud interface although they are up and running and connected to the internet.  Will these machines be able to update the end point client although they don't appear online in our account or do I need to preform some action on each?

@JDougherty I recommend reaching out for help from our business support team: https://www.malwarebytes.com/support/business/

If you would rather utilize the Forums for support, we have a dedicate area for that here: https://forums.malwarebytes.com/forum/228-malwarebytes-endpoint-protection/

[spilledinc]

Since I have to work today or risk losing clients on Monday (tomorrow) and I've lost several hours of work time yesterday and today to this issue, I think my best solution for now is to leave your software disabled.  I've reinstalled Avast since I still have a paid subscription there as well and will deal with this when I have a day off to do it.  At least then I can complete my work and have protection while on the internet.

I didn't realize there was so much work involved in keeping your software up and running or I wouldn't have purchased it.  I guess your software is aimed more at people who have the time to do the troubleshooting necessary to make it work.  I'm not that person.  I need to be able to purchase software and have it work without me taking time off to do a bunch of manual stuff to keep it up and running. 

I'm also warning my clients to avoid this product.  I'm a project manager and I work mostly on new system implementations for my state government and private industry.  A problem like this could seriously jeopardize the types of projects I work on, not only for me but worse yet if one of my customers runs into it while trying to implement new software.  This could throw a project way off schedule and increase costs dramatically, especially if this had to be addressed on each individual PC in this manner.  This problem could shut down not only a project but an entire organization. 

I've left myself a reminder to cancel my subscription in September just prior to its expiration date to avoid auto-renewal as I see you don't give me the option to stop it from renewing automatically. 

Thank you for trying to assist.  If, in the future, your company is able to create a stable product, please let me know.

[spilledinc]

29 minutes ago, Porthos said:

I don't work for the company but I will tell you I would not use anything else on any computer I own or service.

Unfortunately, my work doesn't allow for the kind of time necessary to keep this software working.  It may be great software if/when it works.  I just can't take the risk of losing more time in the future if this happens again nor can I afford to lose any more time now trying to fix it.  I'm just glad I found out about it before recommending it to a client as it would have made our company look bad.  I'm glad for you that your work allows for this. 

[Porthos]

1 minute ago, spilledinc said:

I'm glad for you that your work allows for this. 

Sorry you feel this way. I have 100's of clients and since 2008 using MB this was only the second time in all those years any thing has happend ot them or myself.

Best wishes and be well. 

[spilledinc]

If you have 100s of clients using this, you might want to give them a 'heads up' about this issue.  Good luck.

[Porthos]

10 minutes ago, spilledinc said:

you might want to give them a 'heads up' about this issue.  Good luck.

I dealt with the ones that had issues yesterday. Not all MB users had the issue, ONLY those that had the computers on at the time of that specific database update. All the others had no issues because by the time they turned on the computers a good database was in place.

My clients are home users that do not leave computers on 24/7 (due to my long standing advice not to) and were not affected.

[spilledinc]

I'm surprised as I have uninstalled and re-installed the software and the issue persisted.  I guess they were lucky.  Most of my clients leave their machines on but I only have a couple dozen clients.  Their just large organizations (State of Michigan, Allied Bank, etc.) and they push their software updates, scans, etc. after hours so workstations have to be left on.  Most of my larger clients use Norton or McAfee though.  I have 3 smaller clients (hospital systems) using other things but I really don't know if any of them use Malwarebytes.  I'm guessing they use a more popular product than this. 

I tried Malwarebytes based on the suggestion of one of my gaming friends.  I sent him a text to let him know about the issue and he said that he had the same issue yesterday and just uninstalled it, replacing it with something called AVG.  I'm going to go check it out. 

Thanks for your input today.  I wish you and your customers the best of luck with this software.

[Porthos]

3 minutes ago, spilledinc said:

Replacing it with something called AVG.  I'm going to go check it out. 

Good luck with AVG. Sorry you feel the need to jump ship. Best wishes.

[lock]

1 hour ago, Porthos said:

since 2008 using MB this was only the second time in all those years any thing has happend ot them or myself.

Ok , so how many time is suppose to happen in order for you to react, somehow?