MalwareBytes will not load - Windows 10

[jriley4284]

Hello,

Malware Bytes will not load for me.  I have browsed through the forums and implemented all of the fixes that I've found to no avail.

OS: Windows 10, 64-bit

MalwareBytes version: 3.7.1.2839-1.0.586-1.0.10894

• When opening from the desktop link, MalwareBytes does not open, nor does it show in the Task Manager or Tray.
• When opening from the exe, including renaming it to explorer.exe, MalwareBytes does not open, nor does it show in the Task Manager or Tray.
• I have attempted to run in safe mode.  MalwareBytes does not open, nor does it show in the Task Manager or Tray.
• I have created a fresh account with Admin rights.  MalwareBytes does not open, nor does it show in the Task Manager or Tray.
• I have performed a clean uninstall using the mb-support application.  Logs are attached.
• I have run FRST64 from my desktop.  Logs are attached.

Let me know if there are any other things I should be trying!

Thank you in advance for your support.

Addition.txt FRST.txt mbst-clean-results.txt

[Malwarebytes]

***This is an automated reply***

Hi,

Thanks for posting in the Malwarebytes 3 Help forum.

 

If you are having technical issues with our Windows product, please do the following: 

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If you haven’t already done so, please run the Malwarebytes Support Tool 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.

1. Download Malwarebytes Support Tool
2. Once the file is downloaded, open your Downloads folder/location of the downloaded file
3. Double-click mb-support-X.X.X.XXXX.exe to run the program
   • You may be prompted by User Account Control (UAC) to allow changes to be made to your computer. Click Yes to consent.
4. Place a checkmark next to Accept License Agreement and click Next
5. You will be presented with a page stating, "Get Started!"
6. Click the Advanced tab on the left column
   
7. Click the Gather Logs button
   
8. A progress bar will appear and the program will proceed with getting logs from your computer
   
9. Upon completion, click a file named mbst-grab-results.zip will be saved to your Desktop. Click OK
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[Maurice Naggar]

@jriley4284

Thank you for the FRST reports.  This machine has an infection that will need one to one expert help.

Hold on until we get your Thread moved over to Malware Removal section.

Thanks.

[Maurice Naggar]

p.s.  Please do not do anything else on your own.

Thanks

[Maurice Naggar]

Hi,

I will be helping and guiding you, going forward.

As we go along, if you have a question, stop and ask first.

Please do not do any changes or fixes on your own.

The infection here is stopping ALL security softwares from running.

What follows is a first step.

.

Please read all of these lines first so that it is all clear to you about our plan. I need a one time run of MBAR like listed here, please.
Please download Malwarebytes Anti-Rootkit (MBAR) from here this link
and save it to your desktop.

( Click the Download button  .....ignore any other info text displayed there)

 

One the file is saved to your machine:

Double click on the MBAR file and allow it to run.

•Click OK on the next screen, to allow the package to extract the contents of the file to its own folder named mbar.

•mbar.exe will launch automatically. On some systems, this may take a few extra seconds. Please be patient and wait for the program to open.

•After reading the Introduction, click 'Next' if you agree.

•On the Update Database screen, click on the 'Update' button.

•Once you see 'Success: Database was successfully updated' click on 'Next', then click the Scan button.

With some infections, you may see two messages boxes:

1.'Could not load protection driver'. Click 'OK'.
2.'Could not load DDA driver'. Click 'Yes' to this message, to allow the driver to load after a restart. Allow the computer to restart. Continue with the rest of these instructions.

•If malware is found, press the Cleanup button when the scan completes. .

 

please also attach these logs are located in the mbar folder on your desktop where the tool extracted itself to.

mbar-log-2019-06-05  or 06-06  (xx-xx-xx).txt** (where xx-xx(xx-xx-xx) is the date and time of the scan)

Sincerely,

[jriley4284]

Hello Maurice,

Thank you for the detailed reply.  I have attached the logs here.  Haven't yet tried to run MalwareBytes, waiting on your guidance.

mbar-log-2019-06-05 (11-33-26).txt

[Maurice Naggar]

Thanks for that log.   The infection ought to be gone.

If you have not done one Windows Restart since, please do one now.

.

Run a scan with Malwarebytes.
Start Malwarebytes from the Start menu.

Click Settings. Then click the Protection tab.
Scroll down and lets be sure the line in SCAN OPTIONs for "Scan for rootkits" is ON
Click it to get it ON

Click the SCAN button.
Select a Threat Scan ( which should be the default).

When the scan phase is done, be real sure you Review and have all detected lines items check-marked on each line on the left. That too is very critical.

Then click on Quarantine selected.

 

Be sure all items were removed. Then too, Repeat the scan one more time. It does not take long.

and again, be sure all detected items are removed.

Let it remove what it has detected.

[jriley4284]

Fantastic!  Loaded up and performed the scan.  Quarantined all issues found.  Re-scan after restart found zero issues.

Much appreciated on all of the help!

[Maurice Naggar]

That is great.  You are welcome.  Let me know if you need anything else at this point.

Q:  Did you by chance download some thing dodgy in the past 2 or 3 days?

[jriley4284]

I honestly haven't run a scan in a long time; I had disabled scanning some time ago (don't ask me why), so the vulnerability window is probably quite a long time.  I tend to stay away from dodgy files, however I work regularly with China and have to exchange files back and forth with them.  There's a non-zero chance that I've received something piggy backed onto their files.

[Maurice Naggar]

Allright.  Safety advice.

Safer practices & malware prevention:
Follow best practices when browsing the Internet, especially on opening links coming from untrusted sources.
First rule of internet safety: slow down & think before you "click".
Free games & free programs are like "candy". We do not accept them from "strangers".

Never open attachments that come with unexpected ( out of the blue ) email no matter how enticing.
Never open attachments from the email itself. Do not double click in the email. Always Save first and then scan with antivirus program.

Never click links without first hovering your mouse over the link and seeing if it is going to an odd address ( one that does not fit or is odd looking or has typos).

 

Pay close attention when installing 3rd-party programs. It is important that you pay attention to the license agreements and installation screens when installing anything off of the Internet. If an installation screen offers you Custom or Advanced installation options, it is a good idea to select these as they will typically disclose what other 3rd party software will also be installed.
Take great care in every stage of the process and every offer screen, and make sure you know what it is you're agreeing to before you click "Next".

Use a Standard user account rather than an administrator-rights account when "surfing" the web.
See more info on Corrine's SecurityGarden Blog http://securitygarden.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_7.html
Dont remove your current login. Just use the new Standard-user-level one for everyday use while on the internet.


Check in at http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com 
Windows Update and install any Important Updates offered.

Make certain that Automatic Updates is enabled.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12373/windows-update-faq

Keep your system and programs up to date. Several programs release security updates on a regular basis to patch vulnerabilities. Keeping your software patched up prevents attackers from being able to exploit them to drop malware.

For other added tips, read "10 easy ways to prevent malware infection"

Lastly, Backup if your best friend.

Glad to help you.  If you need anything else at this point, let me know.

Sincerely,

[AdvancedSetup]

Glad we could help.

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Thanks