back to article Judge bins sueball lobbed at Malwarebytes by rival antivirus maker for torpedoing its tool

Security software slinger Enigma has lost a key legal battle against antivirus maker Malwarebytes, which blocks and deletes Enigma's products from PCs. Florida-based Enigma Software Group, which touts tools Spyhunter and RegHunter that claim to remove software nasties from Windows computers, sued Malwarebytes in San Jose, …

  1. Youngone Silver badge

    Malware

    Enigma's Spyhunter has garnered mixed reviews because it's a free malware scanner that charges a subscription fee if you want to remove any nasties it finds. Some users have also reported that it is difficult to remove once installed.

    If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably malware.

    1. DontFeedTheTrolls
      Coat

      Re: Malware

      A lame duck at that?

    2. Scroticus Canis
      Coat

      Re: "If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably malware."

      Shirley that should be mallardware.

  2. redpawn

    But the user clicked YES to the EULA,

    therefore we should be required to do anything and everything within the EULA. It's the only fair thing to do and no one should be allowed to stop us...

    Well let's just assume they clicked yes for the sake of argument.

  3. Donn Bly

    Their software usually IS unwanted, Malwarebytes label is accurate

    Enigma's programs are (1) routinely bundled with other programs, (2) often installed without informed user consent, and (3) and do not cleanly uninstall. That, in and of itself, makes it a "potentially unwanted program".

    Item (4) in that their software is more likely to corrupt the computer than fix it is beside the point, because by the time you would need something like that you are probably better off reformatting and starting over anyway.

    They also have a documented history of suing security researchers and computer enthusiasts who publish honest reviews that are negative, as well as the blogging platforms that host those personal opinions, all in a deliberate effort to keep people from uninstalling their ad-supported and largely defective junk. That is NOT the behavior of a honest and ethical company.

    Whenever I find their programs on the PC of a friend or client I remove their useless programs and read the user the riot act about installing garbage from the Internet.

  4. Adam 1

    > Some users have also reported that it is difficult to remove once installed.

    Well if that is going to preclude an application from being considered a security suite, then ....

    hang on, Norton just wants me to reboot, brb

    1. elhvb

      Norton != Symantec

      "hang on, Norton Symantec just wants me to reboot, brb"

      Ever since that label changed, Norton products were utterly and completely doomed

      1. Adam 1

        Re: Norton != Symantec

        Just sayin'

      2. DailyLlama

        Re: Norton != Symantec

        Be fair to Symantec; they were crap before that too.

  5. Tigra 07
    Thumb Up

    Would make a good slogan...

    Ah, Malwarebytes, fixing computers that our tech-illiterate family members have fucked up since the early 2000s...

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Spider Sally

    The grandson of one of my clients has managed to install Spder Sally onto Grannie's Mac.

    So far, Malwarebytes has been unable to remove it

  7. Cuddles

    Seems fair

    "It claimed Malwarebytes' blockade was a retaliatory strike after Enigma sued a tech support blog that published a bad review"

    Is that supposed to be a problem? Even if the various issues others have listed with the actual software weren't valid enough reason to block it, removing products made by a company that will sue you if they don't like what you say about them seems perfectly reasonable. If the best defence Enigma could come up with is "We're a bunch of cunts and Malwarebytes were just trying to protect people from us", it's hardly a surprise that they lost.

  8. smyly

    Can of Worms

    Enigma Software are their own worst enemies.

    I have used SpyHunter in the past to remove infections that other programs (including Malwarebytes) could NOT remove.

    Shame about the hard marketing tactics and over priced subscriptions because in my opinion they have a good product that works when others fail.

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