Malwarebytes and Windows Defender

[BillH99999]

I have finally given up on Norton Security and all their constant nagging about upgrading or using Lifelock or using Norton SafeWeb etc. etc. etc.

I am currently using Windows Defender.  I searched around, but could not find a definitive answer for the following questions.  I hope some one can point me in the right direction.

Is it necessary to put any exclusions in Malwarebytes for Defender or within Defender for Malwarebytes?  Or will they coexist fine without any exclusions?

Thanks!
Bill

[Porthos]

53 minutes ago, BillH99999 said:

Is it necessary to put any exclusions in Malwarebytes for Defender or within Defender for Malwarebytes?  Or will they coexist fine without any exclusions?

I do it just in case.  Also do not forget to turn off the below setting in MB.

 

[BillH99999]

@Porthos

Thanks for the reply.  I do have that option turned off.  What exclusions do you actually add to Malwarebytes?  To Windows Defender?  Is there a list somewhere?

Thanks,
Bill

[Porthos]

3 minutes ago, BillH99999 said:

@Porthos

Thanks for the reply.  I do have that option turned off.  What exclusions do you actually add to Malwarebytes?  To Windows Defender?  Is there a list somewhere?

Thanks,
Bill

 

[exile360]

For Malwarebytes it should be the executables under C:\Program Files\Malwarebytes\Anti-Malware, most importantly MBAMService.exe and mbam.exe (the others may be excluded as well, but are far less important as the two I mentioned make up the primary UI and scan/protection engine components that do all the heavy lifting).  For Windows Defender it should be as simple as adding its program folders located under C:\Program Files and C:\Program Files (x86) in Malwarebytes.

[Porthos]

1 minute ago, exile360 said:

C:\Program Files (x86) in Malwarebytes.

There is no program files x86 any more since VER 3

[BillH99999]

@exile360 and @Porthos

Thanks for the help. 

Would it work to just add the entire Malwarebytes folder to Defender and the entire Windows Defender folders to Malwarebytes rather than pick and chose specific files within the folders?

Bill

[exile360]

No, unfortunately, at least if Defender is anything like its Windows 7 counterpart MSE, because to actually exclude a program from its real-time protection you must exclude individual executables, not folders.  Excluding folders only prevents those locations from being scanned by on-demand and scheduled scans which is not where a conflict or performance issue is likely to arise.

As for Program Files (x86), I was not referring to Malwarebytes, I was talking about Defender which has a folder under both the regular Program Files folder as well as the 32 bit Program Files (x86) directory (for MSE, the folders are called 'Microsoft Security Client', however I seem to recall the name being different in Windows 10 for Defender).

[BillH99999]

@exile360

OK. I added the files and folders as suggested.

Thanks,
Bill

[exile360]

You're welcome

FYI, the area where exclusions are added to MSE for excluding the individual executables is called Excluded Processes; I can't recall what the UI/settings in Defender look like, but I suspect it should be something similar there for excluding processes from its real-time protection.

[BillH99999]

I added the Malwarebytes executables you mentioned to Windows Defender as file exclusions.  I also added the Malwarebytes Service process to Windows Defender as a process exclusion.  

Thanks!
Bill

[exile360]

Cool, all that's really necessary are the process exclusions (Defender is very unlikely to ever detect Malwarebytes' files as actual malware, so the main thing is just to keep it from monitoring/messing with Malwarebytes' processes in memory, the primary of which is of course MBAMService as I mentioned) so yes, the exclusions you created should be more than adequate for the best performance and lowest probability of any sort of conflicts