Chrome Secure Preferences detection always returns

[AdvancedSetup]

Browser-related remediation (especially concerning preference/configuration files) can be particularly troublesome given the safeguards built into the browsers, along with syncing mechanisms and other complications associated with Internet browsers. The issue you're experiencing is likely caused by the syncing mechanism associated with your Google account.

Malwarebytes is successfully removing items it has detected, but Google is replacing them from what Chrome Sync has stored on the cloud.  This is not an issue with the Malwarebytes product, but rather a Google Chrome/Chrome Sync convenience with unintended negative effects.

When Chrome Sync is turned on, most browser settings – including any unwanted extensions or search hooks – are stored in the Google Cloud, so that your Chrome browsing experience is consistent on all devices you log in to your Google account with.

To fix this, you will need to reset Chrome Sync.  Here’s how:

1. Open Google Chrome
2. Click your Profile in the top right corner of your browser screen (next to the three dots)
       A small window will open in the top right corner
3. Click Sync is On
       A new browser window will open to allow you to change your Google account settings
4. Click Turn Off at the top
       A small confirmation window will appear in the middle of your browser window
5. Click Turn Off again to confirm that you wish to stop syncing to the Google cloud
       The confirmation window will close, returning you to the Google account settings screen.
       This will also sign you out of Google.
6. Next, open https://chrome.google.com/sync
       A Google login screen will be shown in your browser window.
7. Enter your Google username and password
       The "Data from Chrome sync" screen will be displayed to show basic information on  what information is being synchronized to the cloud
8. Scroll to the bottom and click Reset Sync or Clear Data
       A window will be displayed to let you know that synchronization to Google’s cloud will now be stopped.
9. Now run a Scan with Malwarebytes and remove any detections found during the scan.

Afterward, you can turn Sync back on in Chrome.

1. Open Google Chrome
2. Click your Profile in the top right corner of your browser screen (next to the three dots)
3. Click Turn on Sync 
       A confirmation window will be displayed in the center of your browser screen
4. Click Yes I’m In.
       That’s all there is to it!

 

Recommended Setting

Go into the Settings menu of Chrome by first clicking  the three dots on upper right of the address bar and go to On Startup
You can alternatively copy and paste the following to the address bar to get there.
chrome://settings/onStartup

Make sure that Chrome is "NOT" set to "Continue where you left off"

 

If you use Chrome to log in to any Google service from any other computer, please follow these steps before turning on Chrome sync on those computers as well.

Failure to do this will cause this problem to continually reoccur.

 

Edited June 5, 2023 by AdvancedSetup
updated information