Malwarebytes, the maker of a popular, trusted, and effective solution for removing nasty bits of harmful code from PCs, has officially launched version 2.0. And, to ensure the christening makes significant noise, the company is also promising to support Windows XP for a lifetime. Malwarebytes understands that Windows XP makes up 20% of its installed customer base – and that makes perfect sense, considering that Windows XP remains the most unsecure OS on the planet.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 2.0 merges 5 different products into a single offering and includes improvements in each. New Anti-Rootkit technology will seek out and fix damaged files. Chameleon is a piece of code that forces scans even if malware has crippled the system or another installed security product has been rendered useless due to infection. Other features include malicious URL blocking, a new heuristics engine to kill based on suspect behavior, and faster scanning techniques.
Malwarebytes will continue to offer a free version of the clean-up tool, however the release today brings a new Anti-Malware Premium product that replaces Anti-Malware Pro.
The free version is to be used scan and remove malware after the PC is already infected, or is suspected of being infected. The Premium version provides that and everything else to ensure real-time protection.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Premium costs $24.95 for 3 PCs for a year.
Malwarebytes is yet another company attempting to take advantage of the end of Windows XP support. Microsoft pulls the life plug on Windows XP on April 8, 2014. Just last week, Avast announced support for Windows XP in its updated Avast! 2014 product. Google has announced that the company's Chrome web browser will support Windows XP until April 2015, and even Microsoft will continue to provide antimalware support through Security Essentials until July 15, 2015.
Customers, of course, can opt for a new PC instead. Microsoft is offering $100 for Windows XP computer trade-ins, which includes 90 days of free support, and free software to help transfer data. The majority of computers still running Windows XP are old and probably not worth paying for additional support through 3rd party applications that may or may not solve the security issue. $24.95 per year is a lot cheaper than a new PC, but it's also a gamble. With no further update support from Microsoft, Windows XP will become an even bigger target for hackers. Those that are promising support for the expiring operating system are putting themselves directly in the same crosshairs as Windows XP.
