San Jose, CA (PRWEB) January 21, 2013
Seven years ago, Marcin Kleczynski discovered a stubborn piece of malware on his home computer. It appeared he was just to be another data point in the estimated 40% of U.S. households who have been affected by a computer virus. Ah, not quite.
None of the major antiviruses could touch the malware, a member of the virulent species of malicious software called “ransomware.” Not Symantec, not McAfee. “I was stumped—and I worked as a computer technician at the time, so I knew what I was doing,” Kleczynski said. “It took me three days of consulting with security experts on a message board before I could remove it.”
Inspired by the experience, the following year Kleczynski built an anti-malware program from scratch in his college dorm room to accomplish what his antivirus could not. It became Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, one of the most popular anti-malware tools on CNET. Originally popularized by word of mouth among computer technicians, it has been downloaded more than 200 million times worldwide since its official launch on January 21, 2008.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware intercepts and eliminates malware the major antiviruses miss. It employs a unique blend of heuristic and behavioral scanning technologies to defeat viruses, worms, Trojans, rootkits, rogues, ransomware, and other malware. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware leads an emerging category of Internet security tools designed to run alongside and complement antivirus software.
“Traditional antivirus does a good job with the known threats but typically isn’t as effective against the growing threat of new and emerging malware,” said Kleczynski, now CEO of Malwarebytes. “That’s where we come in.”
“With our unique blend of protection and detection technologies and agility as an organization, we adapt to new threats faster than traditional antivirus.”
To commemorate the fifth anniversary of the first public release of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, Malwarebytes is making a substantial monetary donation to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). The EFF is an international non-profit digital rights group devoted to preserving online privacy and related issues.
About Malwarebytes
Malwarebytes provides software designed to protect consumers and businesses against malicious threats that consistently escape detection by other antivirus solutions. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Pro, the company’s flagship product, employs a highly advanced behavior-based detection engine that has removed over five billion malicious threats from computers worldwide. Founded in 2008, the self-funded company is headquartered in California, operates offices in Europe, and employs a global team of researchers and experts. For more information, please visit us at http://www.malwarebytes.org.
###
Copyright © 2013 Malwarebytes and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a trademark or registered trademark of Malwarebytes Corp., or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For more information, visit http://www.malwarebytes.org
