MalwareBytes acquires Junkware Removal Tool

[Porthos]

Today Malwarebytes announced the hiring of Filipos Mouliatis, otherwise known as thisisu, and the acquisition of his tool Junkware Removal Tool.



JRT is a tool that is designed to remove adware and other potentially unwanted programs from a Windows compuer. This tool is a very popular download at BleepingComputer.com with over 4 million downloads since Filipos began developing it. It will be exciting to see how JRT partnered with Malwarebytes will go even further to protect Windows users from adware and other unwanted programs.

http://www.majorgeeks.com/news/story/malwarebytes_acquires_junkware_removal_tool.html

 

[NYJimbo]

I really liked having JRT as a separate tool. I hope it's not incorporated into MBAM, as that program is something I use later on in the stream after I have more control of a system.

 

[Porthos]

announced the hiring of Filipos Mouliatis, otherwise known as thisisu

II think this is the most important part. More talented working at MBAM.

 

[NYJimbo]

II think this is the most important part. More talented working at MBAM.

I've worked in IT departments on Wall Street since the 1980's, so I have to say this might not be as good as it looks. First you acquire the company and technology and their brains, then you learn all you can from those brains, then you fire those brains. I hope that's not how it ends this time, but I have seen this many times before.

 

[nlinecomputers]

I've worked in IT departments on Wall Street since the 1980's, so I have to say this might not be as good as it looks. First you acquire the company and technology and their brains, they you learn all you can from those brains, then you fire those brains. I hope that's not how it ends this time, but I have seen this many times before.

Yep. Getting rid of a competitor by acquiring it along with nice non compete clauses. Guy pays off his debt by selling his soul.

 

[AlexCa]

Yep. Getting rid of a competitor by acquiring it along with nice non compete clauses. Guy pays off his debt by selling his soul.

Maybe not. The author of Combofix works for MalwareBytes, and that tool is still around.

 

[gadgetfixup]

I've worked in IT departments on Wall Street since the 1980's, so I have to say this might not be as good as it looks. First you acquire the company and technology and their brains, then you learn all you can from those brains, then you fire those brains. I hope that's not how it ends this time, but I have seen this many times before.

Ah someone remembers the old Microsoft business model

 

[Davena]

I do love the JRT. Has been a good friend for the first round of killing drones.

 

[glennd]

I notice he snuck out a release yesterday...

 

[Markverhyden]

Ah someone remembers the old Microsoft business model

LOL!!! Like when they purchased Virtual PC.

 

[AliceKlaar]

Or when they "acquired" CP/M to make DOS - http://www.informationweek.com/cour...icrosofts-first-os-was-stolen/d/d-id/1057614?

and perhaps a little something from Xerox...

Maybe they should just "borrow" a decent OS from whoever

 

[glennd]

Or when they "acquired" CP/M to make DOS - http://www.informationweek.com/cour...icrosofts-first-os-was-stolen/d/d-id/1057614?

and perhaps a little something from Xerox...

Maybe they should just "borrow" a decent OS from whoever

They did, it was called OS/2. But then they made a dog's breakfast of that

 

[cypress]

Maybe not. The author of Combofix works for MalwareBytes, and that tool is still around.

I was late to the party when I noticed Combofix doesnt work for Windows 8.1 But I also don't really use Combofix to begin with.

I really like JRT and I usually run that after CCleaner in my cleaning process. I hope this only makes this program better and interested to see how it is integrated into MBAM. Maybe the scan is automated or maybe the give you an option to run it first?

 

[HFultzjr]

I've worked in IT departments on Wall Street since the 1980's, so I have to say this might not be as good as it looks. First you acquire the company and technology and their brains, then you learn all you can from those brains, then you fire those brains. I hope that's not how it ends this time, but I have seen this many times before.

I've seen that more than once! Hope not the case.

 

[Porthos]

https://forums.malwarebytes.org/ind...s-acquires-junkware-removal-tool/#entry970853

From the CEO of Malwarebytes.

 

[NYJimbo]

I remember back in the day when Windows web hosting had a half dozen control panels to choose from. The biggest one at the time was Parallels/Plesk and they started buying up all the smaller competition. I used to offer hosting with HELM control panel and it was great, but Plesk came in and bought the company. At first they said nothing would change and they would keep releasing new HELM versions and fully supporting them. That promise lasted less than a year. Support dropped to nothing and no new useful updates came out. Parallels/Plesk kept buying out all the smaller Windows hosting panels until there was nothing competitive left and now that they owned them, they killed them off one by one.

Right now for virus cleaning, we have great FREE tools like JRT, Adwcleaner, RogueKiller and Combofix. Malwarebytes seems to be the deep pockets malware company out there and they just bought out JRT. JRT is a free tool, so why spend money on some company unless you intend to make money out of it ? If they buy out all of these free tools, like Parallels/Plesk did with control panels, you are going to see these resources disappear and one tool remain, Malwarebytes. Mbam on its own is nice but it's never enough for a real clean of an infected machine. So unless Malwarebytes acquisitions are purely altruistic, I think we are seeing an attempt to kill off anything else, even free competition, so that Malwarebytes becomes the only "choice" for techs doing virus cleans. While it's possible Malwarebytes is buying up companies to include that technology into theirs, its more likely they just want to eliminate other choices and make themselves the defacto standard.

 

[Kitten Kong]

I echo Jimbo's comments. I think that their tech bench will be the only thing we will be able to use, and it will be sold at some extortionate amount of money.

Mbam on it's own is just not good enough for today's spyware. I just hope they do not start looking at the other software also, ie adw cleaner, combo, roguekiller etc.

 

[ohio_grad_06]

I'm becoming less of a fan of mbam. Since they launched techbench to the tune of what was it, 500 bucks? That's when I was like no. For me as has been said, if I were using mbam, it's only one tool of many, not the only one. Has anyone tried Emsisoft anti malware? I notice they have their standard software, as well as they have an emergency kit that didn't look unreasonably priced. Maybe I'll have to look there. Hitman I know was a little pricey for my liking last I looked. Guess we'll all be pizza techs one day lol.

In seriousness, there was another tool, I think it was called adware removal tool. May read the licensing on that, and see if it's a suitable replacement.

 

[Porthos]

I just hope they do not start looking at the other software also, ie adw cleaner, combo, roguekiller etc.

S!R! the creator of Combofix already works for Malwarebytes.

 

[ohio_grad_06]

Which is likely why combo does not work on Windows 8/8.1