Can Bitdefender work in cooperation with Malwarebytes?

@Eno-Scott ,

I have used both Bitdefender Total Security (BDTS) and Malwarebytes Premium (MBP) together for many years now. It is important to turn off the MBP Setting, General, "Always Register Malwarebytes in the Windows Security Center" setting.

In MBP, then whitelist (add exceptions) for the following folders: ProgramFiles\Bitdefender, Program Files\Bitdefender Agent, ProgramData\Bitdefender, and Program data\Bitdefender Agent.

In BDTS, exclude the following folders: ProgramFiles\Malwarebytes\anti malware, ProgramData\malwarebytes\mbamservice, Windows\System32\Drivers\mbae.sys, Windows\System32\Drivers\mbam.sys, Windows\System32\Drivers\mbamchameleon.sys, Windows\System32\Drivers\mbamswissarmy.sys, and Windows\System32\Drivers\mwac.sys.

Note that you can only install MBP after BDTS is installed. Then you can turn on Premium and add your exceptions.

Further, you should be aware that Bitdefender's official stance is that you should not install any other security solutions. I like layered security. I also have set Windows Defender to do periodic scans, but real-time protection is turned off for it. This is my personal preference.

If I had to choose only one security product, it would be BDTS. I regard MBP as a complementary security suite.

Have a great day.

Regards,

Phil

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/99353/is-it-necessary-to-use-malwarebytes-in-conjunction-with-bitdefender

Hi,

There's also a recent discussion on this topic here:

Regards,

Alex

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/336998#Comment_336998

What about the suggestions of garioch7 in the previous post ? Wich line of behavior should I to follow at this point?

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/336984#Comment_336984

It couldn't be safer to use only the free version of Mbam on your opinion?

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/337000#Comment_337000

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/337001#Comment_337001

While you have already checked out the other post, as routed by @Alexandru_BD, here is what you need to understand: if you have a high-end PC with a better configuration, you are most welcome to use both antimalware software. However, if it is a well-balanced PC, it may end up using more computer resources. Even if you set exclusions, here is what it will do: Bitdefender will not scan Malwarebytes' software files and vice versa. But in the background, they both will be consuming resources, which may end up slowing down your processing speed since the real-time protection for both will be active in the background.

Moving further, if there is malware detected and both products have detection available for it, they will counteract each other to remove that malware, utilizing more of the system resources. In the end, it's your call.

Regards

@Flexx @Alexandru_BD ,

I appreciate your comments. I was very clear in my post to @Eno-Scott to explain Bitdefender's official stance and stipulate that I ran both security products as a personal preference.

I never stated he should run both.

Even if you set exclusions, here is what it will do: Bitdefender will not scan Malwarebytes' software files and vice versa. But in the background, they both will be consuming resources, which may end up slowing down your processing speed since the real-time protection for both will be active in the background.

Indeed, more computer resources are required. BDTS consumes about 600 MB of RAM, and MBP consumes about 300 MB of RAM in real-time protection mode.

Moving further, if there is malware detected and both products have detection available for it, they will counteract each other to remove that malware, utilizing more of the system resources.

I have never heard or read of such complaints. Would you be so kind as to provide references? I am always seeking to improve my knowledge.

In the end, it's your call.

Absolutely! It is his computer, so it is his decision, and it is my decision with both of my computers to run both products with real-time protection enabled based on my UNITE-certified Malware Removal training at Bleeping Computer.

The original question was: "Can Bitdefender work in cooperation with Malwarebytes?"

I answered in the affirmative because it can. I find it interesting that over at the Malwarebytes Forums, where I hold the rank of "Expert," I get in hot water over there for stating for answering the reverse question in the same way.

IMHO, the Moderators at both Forums need to lighten up. I am not a salesman for either product.

I don't want to continue this discussion. We have had that discussion here before. Consider me slapped for not answering in the negative when I know that is not true. I remain unrepentant.

I am abandoning this topic. The user will make his own decision based on feedback received here from all concerned knowledgeable parties.

@Eno-Scott , please accept my apologies for hijacking your topic with this post. By the way, MBP is not a genuine anti-virus program, despite the marketing claims, which is why I told you that if I had to choose one security product, it would always be BDTS.

Thank you, and have a great day.

Regards,

Phil

@garioch7 please accept my apologies for have putted you in a difficult situation,it wasn't my intention and I really appreciate your suggestions and knowledge sharing!

I'm not that expert with PC stuff so I'm trying to learn starting from easier things to follow and in addiction to that I have an old machine with only a few GB of RAM so for that reason I've thought that the suggestion of @Flexx and @Alexandru_BD were more suitable to my case

Thank you all for your efforts to help me !

I strongly believe that we can learn something new every day, we just have to be willing to do it and keep an open mind. 😊
No harm done here. It's like Phil said, the answer is yes, it can be done, just that it's not really recommended by me, nor necessary, in my humble opinion. At the end of the day, everyone reading this topic will take from here what's best suited for their needs, so we can simply share our different perspectives and let the people who are seeking answers and guidance to decide for themselves and do what works best for them. 😉

That being said, even in disagreement (but that's not the case here) I appreciate everyone's contributions. 👍️

Regards,

Alex

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/337010#Comment_337010

@garioch7 I have seen your post on the same topic on the Malwarebytes forum, since I was also a member of the Malwarebytes forum in the past. I just provided him with extra information.

I have never heard or read of such complaints. Would you be so kind as to provide references? I am always seeking to improve my knowledge.

Antimalware vendors themselves often have helpful blogs that address common issues. While finding a specific video example might be difficult, you can always trust the information provided by reputable antimalware vendors. They have extensive knowledge and experience in this field

1) https://usa.kaspersky.com/resource-center/preemptive-safety/running-more-than-one-antivirus-program (answers all basic questions)

2) https://www.kaspersky.co.in/blog/multiple-antivirus-programs-bad-idea/2403/ (heading: They will fight over viruses)

3) https://www.mcafee.com/blogs/internet-security/less-is-more-why-one-antivirus-software-is-all-you-need/ (heading: Fight over potential viruses)

4) https://www.emsisoft.com/en/blog/29265/do-not-run-multiple-antivirus/ (heading: Both detect a threat: Who is first to quarantine?)

5) https://www.av-comparatives.org/why-you-should-never-have-multiple-antivirus-programs-on-your-computer/ (heading: Butting heads)

@Eno-Scott I also found something interesting for you from Bitdefender support. Have a look at the stated link (https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/2228/)

Regards

@Flexx @Alexandru_BD Could you explain me if there could be some conflict also with the startup scan function ? Should I disable also that one for Mbam free version on my OS ?

And what about Defender? From the link that you've provided seems that Microsoft guarantees that Defender can work (with reduced functionalities) with the main av solution,that is appliable also to other functions of it like Cloud Protection (look at the screenshot to see my actual configuration,on my system infact I've tried to apply some modifies using Group Policies Editor trying to change some settings that were been done by Tron that I've used time ago) ? I mean if I have Defender's Cloud protection enabled that one then fights with the same function of Bitdefender av?

@Alexandru_BD @Flexx and what about startup scan of Defender , it also create conflicts with the one of Bitdefender?

Plus I'll have another one question about (I'm sorry for being annoying) : when I want to perform a scan with Malwarebites Free (or another one av) on my OS then should I disable the Bitdefender Total Security antivirus through the toggle that you'll see on the screenshot below ? Or maybe there it also could be some other options to deactivate (or instead I'd don't have to deactivate any function) ?

And what about exceptions ? I've to set any of these one in the scan settings of Mbam or Bitdefender for whitelisting th AVs preventing them to identifies the other one like a possible malware (like @garioch7 has counseled) ?

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/337107#Comment_337107

1) Malwarebytes Free:

- Malwarebytes Free does not offer real-time protection. It’s a manual tool that you can use to scan files or folders for malware.
- You can indeed use Bitdefender alongside Malwarebytes Free without any issues.

2) Malwarebytes Premium:

- Unlike the free version, Malwarebytes Premium provides real-time protection. It actively monitors files and processes on your system.
- Even with Malwarebytes Premium active, you can still use Bitdefender simultaneously. Malwarebytes Premium focuses on detecting any file that attempts to run on your system, not just idle files. If a file tries to make changes that could lead to running a malicious program, Malwarebytes will catch it. However, until that file actually executes (runs), Malwarebytes Premium won’t detect it. This is where Bitdefender steps in: it continuously scans all your files for threats, providing an additional layer of security.

Exclusions

Following @garioch7 advice, you can set up exclusions to avoid potential conflicts between the two antimalware software. Note that this advice primarily applies to Malwarebytes Premium. The free version doesn’t require the exclusions.

Now, to answer your query...

If you are scanning your PC with Malwarebytes Free, it might find malware that Bitdefender may not have detected since it runs in the background continuously monitoring all files. However, it doesn't end there. Even if the signature-based detection of Bitdefender didn't catch the file in real-time, the behavior blocker (advanced threat defense) might come into action. Hence, you should disable the real-time protection of Bitdefender and ensure that you continuously monitor to keep Bitdefender's real-time protection switched off. In some cases, it has been observed that despite setting Bitdefender's real-time protection off and selecting the time period, it automatically enables the real-time protection again.

Regards

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/337107#Comment_337107

You will have no issues with Bitdefender and Malwarebytes Free starting at Windows boot. Disabling or enabling Malwarebytes Free is entirely up to you because Malwarebytes Free does not have any real-time protection and acts as a portable scanner.

When you install Bitdefender, it automatically turns off Windows Defender. If you still want to use Windows Defender alongside Bitdefender, its real-time protection will also be turned off since Bitdefender's protection is already active.

However, you can still use a feature in Windows Defender called "periodic scanning." This type of scan is meant to work with another antivirus program, like Bitdefender, to give your system an extra layer of security. It checks for threats that your main antivirus might miss, focusing on areas where malware often hides.

Unlike a full system scan, periodic scanning is quick and light on your system. It runs at scheduled times, like once a week, instead of constantly monitoring for threats. This way, it adds extra protection without slowing down your computer.

Regards

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/337128#Comment_337128

So the right option to unable to avoid conflicts between Mbam free scans an Bitdefender Toal Security would be that one ?

I mean Advanced Threat Defense is the module for real-time protection ? In that case I've also to disable the one for exploit?

Plus you've said that is possible to disable real-time protection for a predefinied time period,how can I do that?

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/337141#Comment_337141

So the right option to unable to avoid conflicts between Mbam free scans an Bitdefender Toal Security would be that one ?

Let's keep it simple. If you want to do a custom scan with Malwarebytes Free, disable Bitdefender real-time protection.

Follow this procedure,

Temporarily disable Bitdefender Protection: https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/28557/

I mean Advanced Threat Defense is the module for real-time protection ? In that case I've also to disable the one for exploit?

Plus you've said that is possible to disable real-time protection for a predefinied time period,how can I do that?

Advanced threat defense is a part of real-time protection, but it is independent of the antivirus section of real-time protection. The antivirus section is based on cloud scanning, heuristics, and signature-based detection (created by malware researchers), which can scan and remove the malicious file without its execution. On the other hand, advanced threat defense (behavior blocker) only comes into action if a particular malicious file is executed. Additionally, it may or may not be the case that this feature works for all malicious files, since malware can still evade detection from all the security measures of any antimalware software on the market.

Follow this procedure,

Temporarily disable Bitdefender Protection: https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/28557/

Regards

So every time that I'll want to perform a scan with Mbam free I'd have to disable all these settings o.0 " ?

Is not risky for the security of the OS ?

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/337189#Comment_337189

When I used both pieces of software in the past, I used to have Bitdefender real-time protection enabled and ran Malwarebytes Free as an additional scanner because I was aware of and knew about the settings of both products.

So, in your case, you can disable the Bitdefender real-time protection, open Malwarebytes, and update it. Disconnect from the internet and run the scan. That's it.

Regards

BitDefFan2014

As a general rule, NEVER run two security solutions in the same time on the same operating system, because sooner or later you will encounter problems.

@garioch7 if you are still following this, we would highly appreciate your further expertise on this topic, if you would like to add something to what was said above. I have never used both together, so I can't really pronounce myself here, but I think your experience as a malware response instructor can enlighten us in several ways related to the subject. I hope that from all the perspectives shared here, the user will be able to obtain all the necessary information to configure the two products in the most efficient way possible.

Thank you.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/407147/answers-to-common-security-questions-best-practices/#entry2413189

@Alexandru_BD ,

Thank you for your invitation to rejoin this topic. In relation to the original question asked by @Eno-Scott , the link below by one of the foremost security experts at Bleeping Computer might bring some clarity to this discussion.

In fact, all of the posts in that Pinned Topic by @Quietman7 might be informative to the users participating in the discussion presently, as well as to future members who find this topic.

I would like to note that I do not concur with his opinion that:

(Microsoft Defender Antivirus) . . . is just as good as any other antivirus solution . . .

I base my opinion on the impartial testing by the well-respected AV-Comparatives Laboratory.

https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/summary-report-2023/

It should be noted that Bitdefender was ranked Number One, far ahead of Microsoft Defender Antivirus. Other paid anti-virus products also achieved higher scores than Windows Defender.

I have the utmost respect for @Quietman7, and his opinion is shared by many, but so is mine. Experts do differ. In the end, the user must decide what level of anti-virus security they want. For me, that is an easy question to answer: I want the best, and the best is Bitdefender! It offers superior protection and components not available in Windows Defender.

I have been running both Bitdefender Total Security (BDTS) and Malwarebytes Premium (MBP) for over ten years, with the appropriate exceptions configured in both products. I have never disconnected from the Internet or disabled any BDTS protection components to run my weekly MBP scans on both of my computers. I have never experienced any conflicts.

I am unaware of any founded reports of conflicts when both products are properly configured. MBP plays nicely with genuine anti-virus programs because it was so designed. MBP, marketing ignored, is not a genuine anti-virus product. It uses different malware detection methodologies, as pointed out by @Flexx .

MBP should be configured in Settings to turn off "Always register Malwarebytes in the Windows Security Centre." For users running Windows Defender, that is critically important because MBP will turn off the real-time anti-virus protection of Windows Defender if that setting is toggled on, which is usually the default, which creates a significant security vulnerability.

Thank you again, @Alexandru_BD , for requesting I rejoin this topic. I hope that this post might be of assistance.

Have a great day.

Regards,

Phil

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/337193#Comment_337193

@Flexx Ok so which are the exactly steps to stop Real-time protection among those explained here : https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/28557/ ( I suppose the first ones undere the "Protection Features" Label am I right ? )

@garioch7 https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/407147/answers-to-common-security-questions-best-practices/#entry2413189 thank you for that is interesting and I'll give this topic a deeper read..

I'm not an expert so I prefer starting from the easier "steps" to follow,although that I'm opened to all the perspectives tring to enlarge my knowledge about

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/337265#Comment_337265

You need to only disable the Antivirus and Advanced Threat Defense feature.

Regards

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/337229#Comment_337229

@Flexx ,

I have been running both Bitdefender Total Security (BDTS) and Malwarebytes Premium (MBP) for over ten years, with the appropriate exceptions configured in both products. I have never disconnected from the Internet or disabled any BDTS protection components to run my weekly MBP scans on both of my computers. I have never experienced any conflicts.

You need to only disable the Antivirus and Advanced Threat Defense feature.

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/337283#Comment_337283

Why? I would appreciate references so I can research that statement more fully since I have never done that for the hundreds of MBP scans that I have run on my two computers weekly for ten years.

Thank you, and have a great day.

Regards,

Phil

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/337299#Comment_337299

To simplify this, even I have never done that. I also run both of them simultaneously. But because the user is not tech-savvy, it is always better to provide the basic solution.

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/337027#Comment_337027

Not everything has references attached to it. I already provided the references as to why two antimalware products should not run side by side. The information has been provided by Kaspersky, McAfee, Emsisoft, and AV Comparatives.

I rest my case here. The case will followed up by @Alexandru_BD from here onwards.

Regards

I'm glad to see you two are having fun here. 😃

Here's what I say. Let @Eno-Scott try everything suggested here and get back to us with his feedback. He can only find out what works best for him if he tries all the available options and configurations, and if he concludes that both products are getting along well like that, we can only be happy that we somehow contributed to this outcome. 😉

Cheers!

@Alexandru_BD @Flexx @garioch7 thanks all to have helped me,I've apprechiated and I've founded a lot of useful infos here !

You are most welcome @Eno-Scott.

So, I did a bit of research myself and my conclusion is the following: Malwarebytes does not require that any anti-virus protection be disabled to run its own scans. This means that it is not necessary to disable ATD in Bitdefender or anything else, for that matter. So, to bring this topic to an end and have some closure here, @garioch7 is absolutely right.

@Flexx you were asked by Phil to provide some references to support the recommendation to disable the Antivirus and Advanced Threat Defense feature in conjunction with MBP, but I haven't found any information nor evidence to support this claim.

I think we owe both @Eno-Scott and Phil an apology here, first because we misled the OP without realizing it, and secondly because @garioch7 was correct all along.

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/337393#Comment_337393

@Alexandru_BD not every user faces issues with using two antimalware software. It depends on the make of the motherboard, RAM, and processor it can support. My laptop can support running both Bitdefender and Malwarebytes Premium, but my desktop only supports running one. It's limited by the processing speed of the CPU. The higher the processing speed and RAM, the faster the motherboard can work. In the past, I ran Bitdefender, Kaspersky, and Malwarebytes together with changes in real-time protection in all, since I knew what I was doing and I had the configuration as Ryzen 9 6900HX | GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 8GB DDR6.

Now, talking about proof, as I also stated in the very beginning, there is no exact information that will relate to comparing or using different antimalware together. Hence, I provided general information from antimalware vendors like Kaspersky, McAfee, etc., to state why one should not run two antimalware simultaneously. And as far as the information was already provided, I don't see anything to apologize for here.

Now, I will have to act like a teacher and teach students, lol 😂

Imagine we have a malware sample that's quite sophisticated. It contains multiple threats bundled together. For instance, let's say it includes malicious JavaScript, an adware HTML redirector, and an executable ransomware.

Now, when both Malwarebytes and Bitdefender real-time protections are enabled simultaneously, they may overlap in their detection and handling of these threats.

Here's a breakdown of potential issues:

1) False Positives:

What Happens: Both tools might identify the same file as malicious, triggering false positives.

Consequence: This could lead to unnecessary alarm, as the file might not actually be harmful.

2) Performance Impact:

What Happens: Running dual real-time protections can consume significant system resources.

Consequence: This can result in a noticeable slowdown of your computer's performance. Your system might feel sluggish or less responsive.

3) Conflict Resolution:

What Happens: If both tools attempt to quarantine or delete the same file, conflicts may arise.

Consequence: This conflict can lead to a stalemate, where neither program can effectively resolve the issue. It might also create confusion in the system about what action to take.

To mitigate these potential problems, it's generally recommended to disable one of the real-time protections. You can choose to let either Malwarebytes or Bitdefender handle real-time protection, but not both at the same time. This way, you still have active protection against malware threats without risking conflicts or performance issues.

Now, let's move on to scanning with Malwarebytes Free and why it's recommended to disable real-time protection of Bitdefender at that particular moment.

1) Bitdefender Real-Time Protection:

Bitdefender’s real-time protection is a robust shield that combines multiple layers:

Signature-Based Detection: It identifies known malware based on predefined patterns (signatures).

Advanced Threat Defense (Behavioral Blocker): It monitors software behavior for suspicious actions.

Cloud-Based Detection: It leverages cloud resources to analyze files and URLs in real time.

While this multi-layered approach enhances security, it can sometimes lead to false positives or conflicts with other security tools.

2) Malwarebytes Free and Custom Scans:

Malwarebytes Free focuses on manual scans rather than real-time protection.

During custom scans, you actively choose which files or folders to scan. Here’s why disabling Bitdefender’s real-time protection during these scans is recommended:

Resource Efficiency: Custom scans can be resource-intensive. Disabling Bitdefender real-time protection ensures that Malwarebytes can scan without resource clashes. Meaning, if there would have been any malicious file that would have surpassed the signature-based detection of Bitdefender, it could still be detected by Bitdefender cloud-based engine or behavior blocker. At the same time, the custom scan of Malwarebytes Free would detect it. Hence, to prevent the behavior blocker from acting, disabling real-time protection and advanced threat defense, which is the behavior blocker in Bitdefender, can be done. As far as disabling the internet goes, the cloud-based scanning utilizes internet services to check files for scanning.

Balancing Act: By disabling Bitdefender real-time protection temporarily, you strike a balance between thorough scanning and system performance.

It's not a hard and fast rule to understand this. In case anyone has still not understood, whether or not you can run two antimalware software together depends on the make and model of your laptop and desktop as stated above. If you are still unable to understand after elaborating so much, I can only ask you to create a support ticket with Bitdefender support or the support of any antimalware vendor available over the internet 😂. Ask the support team to get in touch with their respective malware research team and get some information on running two antimalware software together, even if you are able to run two antimalware software together.

In extreme cases, when this forum post is heading towards complexity, it's best to consult with malware researchers to obtain relevant information. @Alexandru_BD, you can internally ping any malware researcher who specializes in Windows or macOS. Kindly share this forum post link with them and ask for their opinion.

Regards