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App Block & Polaris Office


Tertiumquid

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I understand the rationale for App Block, a recent feature addition. But I need to know *why* Malwarebytes is applying it to my Polaris Office suite. Anybody know what the basis was for that decision? If it's bad news, let's hear it.

I assume (always dangerous) that Malwarebyte block of Polaris is either

1) Polaris is known for sloppy security in their easily abused code, or 2) something unknown to me is resident in the Polaris executable.

Whichever, I need to make a decision to override or not.

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I'm not familiar with the Mac product, but I'm looking into how to best assist you. There can be different reasons why it is being detected and usually having the log and file will allow us to give you an accurate answer as well appropriate actions to take.

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I've investigated this, and it looks like Polaris Office is being blocked because it's signed with a certificate that we have seen being used to sign adware installers... specifically, the adware called InstallCore. I'll investigate further, but best case scenario, they distributed InstallCore installers that were signed with their certificate, which is not the behavior of a particularly respectable company. For that reason, I'd suggest using a different office suite. macOS already comes with the Pages, Numbers, and Keynote apps for free, which are pretty decent at importing and exporting Microsoft Office documents.

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Hey Thomas, Thanks for your putting time to investigate. Adware installers, especially loaded without user knowledge is shady indeed. You've filled out the playing field.

Given Malwarebyte's mission and what your research turned up, I would have made that same management decision. However, I would have additionally provided an over-ride option for users, who for whatever reason, needed to use a particular application. I know decision makers at Malwarebytes to be wary of opening any door (over-ride) that may make problems for you and your colleagues. I appreciate your suggestion at Apple's software suite. I've been there over that last years. I need a professional suite (meaning designed for professional use–––one earmark of which is the software's ability to get at a solution from more than one sequence).

In the case of Polaris, it has been quite useful and without (known) issues technical or adware-wise (not to say they couldn't improve their design. They should). There might have been adware sneaking in their back door, but none I'm aware of or even have experienced. Polaris also runs on my Android phone with grace and aplomb.

That last sentence hints at the fact that for me, Apple is not my diehard standard champion. They make good hardware which is why I gratefully use this Macbook and spent many years with an iPhone in my hand.  But, software designed as a professional tool is, in my little opinion, not what Apple can be admired for. Thus I have looked deeply and reject most if not all Apple software, but for their OS. I know many Apple users disagree, and it's all fine for them. Anyway, I've switched to Android without regret and gained controllability Apple famously remains opposed to. Yes, Google is frustrating on many fronts but overall, Android serves me well and I just do not miss Apple's iPhone, and haven't looked back. Ever.

I am happy to consider other "suites" but at this moment know of none other than MS that runs on both MacOS and Android. Should you ever come across one that Malwarebytes allows to run either natively or with over-ride, do, please let me know.

I hope Malwarebytes revisits the issue and provides App-Block over-ride. I deeply appreciate your input. But it Looks like I've got to make decisions....

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