Enigma Sues Malwarebytes After PUP Accusations

[Pup Shepard]

PCPITSTOP source article

 

I think this is greedy people who wants some of malwarebytes money.

 

Start Quote//////

 

Enigma files complaint against Malwarebytes after PUP classifications…

 

BleepingComputer isn’t the only one with a target on their back.  Enigma is also bringing legal action against Malwarebytes.  According to PRLeap, Enigma’s suit claims their competitor used false advertising, unfair competition, and tortious interference with contractual relations when they categorized Enigma’s SpyHunter and RegHunter as Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUP).

Enigma has reported that in the last eight years, Malwarebytes has never classified their programs as PUPs.  So why now?  Theorist suggests there are two motives.  First, is financial.  If Malwarebytes classifies their competitor’s anti-malware program, SpyHunter as a PUP, Enigma will see a dip in their bottom line.  Another theory suggests Malwarebytes is using this as a pressure technique.  According to PRLeap, BleepingComputer, who also is in litigation with Enigma, is one of Malwarebytes largest affiliates.  Since BleepingComputer’s suit is still pending, this could pressure Enigma to settle.

What do you think?  Is Malwarebytes pushing the envelope to help BleepingComputer in anyway they can?  Or do you believe Malwarebytes believes these two programs are PUPs and are simply protecting users’ PCs?

The full complaint can be found here.

 

 

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[Ramamataz]

Just BS, stuff like usually from companies that don't know how to make programs that actually help users

 

So fuck off Enigma and do yourself a favor and off your program before someone does it for you. 

[SubTract]

Ctrl + Shift + V people.
Or Right Click > paste as plain text.
Removes the formatting so there is no horrible white background.

[huilun02]

All fine and dandy.

Just get the 999 other reputable antivirus/antimalware providers to add Enigma's 'products' as PUPs.

And then see what they have to say about it.

 

Those upgrateful pricks have been bundling Spyhunter and Reghunter with downloads, yet have the gall to whine after Malwarebytes closed one eye for fcuking 8 years. What they think Malwarebytes has some sort of legal obligation to not list their shitty bundleware? If they had integrity and faith in their 'products', why would they even care if a 'competitor' does this?

[Prysin]

@rubberpuppy

OMFG fix that atrocious post of yours. its fucking horrible in Night mode.

 

my eyes are burning. I'll hold you personally responsible and sue if your post causes permanent blindness.

 

/j

[uzarnom]

It would be nice to know what phase of the scan detects spy hunter as bad (my guess heuristics),
and i thought anti-virus/anti-malware always picks competitors up (because some class them as the very thing they aim to protect against)

[TidaLWaveZ]

Technically any program has the potential to be unwanted.  Also if you're actually running Malwarebytes, having another program like it makes it seem even less necessary.  I don't even see enigma having a case in this situation.

[NumLock21]

Can' quote on mobile

SpyHunter by Enigma Software Group USA, LLC is a program that was previously listed as a rogue producton the Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products Listbecause of the company's history of employingaggressive and deceptive advertising ¹. It has since been delisted but some users have reported they still engage in deceptive advertising ². Newer versions of SpyHunter install it's own "Compact OS" and uses Grub4Dos loader ³ to execute on boot up. The user no longer sees the normal Windows boot menu but instead sees the GRUB menu. In some cases this has caused the computer to go into a continuous loop or experience other issues when attempting to boot. ⁴,

Unfortunately, AV-Test has not included SpyHunter in their comprehensive testing analysis. If Enigmasoftware's SpyHunter was included, which we hope they attempt to do so, we would get a much clearer picture as to how it compares to other anti-spyware programs in terms of protection, detection, repair and usability.

While there are mixed reviews for SpyHunter, some good and some bad, my main concern is the reports by customers of deceptive pricing, continued demands for payment after requesting a refund, lack of adequate customer support, removal (uninstall) problems and various other issues with their computer as a result of using this product ⁶. For example, some users are not aware that when purchasing SpyHunter, they haveagreed to a subscription service with an automatic renewal policy ⁶. This information is in fine print at the bottom of the SpyHunter Purchase Agreement.

Quote

SpyHunter is a 6 month subscription spyware detection/removal service. By making this purchase, customers agree, for their convenience, to be autorenewed every 6 months in order to receive ongoing spyware protection, definition & program updates, custom fixes to their specific spyware problems, and advanced technical support from our Spyware-Helpdesk. You will receive an e-mail notification to opt-out, if you do not wish to be autorenewed.

You may want to read some of the user comments posted on the Complaints Board: Enigma Software Group Spyhunter Complaints & Reviews to see why there are so many concerns regarding this product.

Further, when searching for new malware or malware removal assistance (and removal guides) on the Internet, it is not unusual to find numerous hits from untrustworthy sites that provide inadequate removal instructions and then offer a tool that a visitor must purchase before it removes anything. These sites recommend a pay-to-clean program, rather than a free-to-clean program, because the site owner will make a commission on the sale of the program. SpyHunter(SpyHunter-Installer.exe) is one of the most common removal tools pushed by these sites.

• SpyHunter - Fake security blogs

SpyHunter is not classified as malware or rogue security software and other antivirus and antimalware vendors do not target it for removal. Those security vendors which have tried in the past received threats of legal action for attempting to do so or agreed to legal settlements as a result of litigation brought forth by Enigma Software ⁷. See this Table of Threats and Demands which identifies Enigma as one of the companies to make repeated "Cease and Desist" demands against those companies which detect, remove, and/or criticize their product. Enigma also appears to consider online community security sites as competitors for evaluating legal options...see Enigma Software, A Mystery?

In my opinion SpyHunter is a dubious program with a high rate of false positives ². If you have downloaded and scanned with SpyHunter, detection results should be analyzed carefully before you remove anything. Based on this information, it is in my opinion that you remove this program and replace it with highly regarded alternatives such as Malwarebytes Anti-Malware ⁸ or Emsisoft Anti-Malware ⁹.

 

If you want to uninstall SpyHunter, then use the guides and information below to help you...

The correct way to remove SpyHunter per the vendor, Enigma Software Group, is from within its program group Uninstall shortcut in Start Menu > All Programs or by using Programs and Features (Add/Remove Programs) in Control Panel.

• How to Uninstall SpyHunter

Alternatively, you can use a third-party utility like Revo Uninstaller.

 

Note: Sometimes the uninstall works more effectively if you first stop and disable the program's service (and associated processes) or perform the removal in safe mode so there are less processes which can interfere with the uninstallation.

SpyHunter4 creates the following scheduled taskwhich should be disabled/removed before uninstalling.

SpyHunter4Startup "C:\Program Files\Enigma Software Group\SpyHunter\Spyhunter4.exe" /s

• How To Enable, Disable or Delete a Task
• Cancel or Delete Scheduled Tasks in Windows

If you have AutoRuns or CCleaner installed, you can also use those tools to disable and remove tasks.

Some users have reported that you may need to open Windows Explorer, navigate to the following location, look for and delete a SpyHunter related file namedSHSetup.exe before uninstalling from Programs and Features (Add/Remove Programs) in Control Panel.
-- XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Local Settings\Temp
-- Vista, Windows 7/8: C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Local\Temp

 
If the suggested removal methods fail...then you need to Contact ESG Technical Support Team and submit a ticket.

* How to Submit a Customer Support Ticket

Submitting support tickets is only for customers who purchased ESG products. If you are not a paid customer or not able to logon to their members section, you can try contacting ESG through theInquiries & Feedback page.

If you feel that that SpyHunter or the developer has engaged in deceptive marketing, then I also suggest you write about your issues on the Complaints Board: Enigma Software Group Spyhunter Complaints & Reviews and send Enigma an email(complaints@enigmasoftware.com). If you read through those comments, you will notice that Enigma Representatives will respond to those making complaints.

Quote

I am the Vice President of Technical Support and Research at Enigma Software Group. I read the post above and I would like to let you know that we have an email specifically for complaints. You or anyone can submit a complaint and I can assure you that we will find a suitable solution for any problem that is related to SpyHunter or to our service. If you have any questions or complaints, please send us an email tocomplaints@enigmasoftware.com. I personally read all emails from that account. At Enigma Software Group, we work hard to maintain the best level of service and make sure that every customer becomes a satisfied customer.

Regards,
Alec Malaspina
Enigma Software Group USA, LLC.

I have referred several other members to follow the above instructions and all were successfully assisted by ESG Tech Support with removing SpyHunter.

References:

• http://spywarewarrior.com/de-listed.htm#sh_note
• https://www.mywot.com/en/scorecard/enigmasoftware.com
• http://www.bleepstatic.com/fhost/uploads/4/spyhunter-grub.jpg
• http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/spyhunter-software-powder-springs-georgia-c79333.html
• http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/570220/spyhunter-keep-pc-in-a-boot-loop-state/
• http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/enigma-software-group-spyhunter-c262520.html
• http://www.benedelman.org/spyware/threats/
• https://www.mywot.com/en/scorecard/malwarebytes.org
• https://www.mywot.com/en/scorecard/emsisoft.com

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/550005/spyhunter-vs-malwarebytes-vs-iobit/

[goodtofufriday]

4 hours ago, NumLock21 said:

Can' quote on mobile

SpyHunter by Enigma Software Group USA, LLC is a program that was previously listed as a rogue producton the Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products Listbecause of the company's history of employingaggressive and deceptive advertising ¹. It has since been delisted but some users have reported they still engage in deceptive advertising ². Newer versions of SpyHunter install it's own "Compact OS" and uses Grub4Dos loader ³ to execute on boot up. The user no longer sees the normal Windows boot menu but instead sees the GRUB menu. In some cases this has caused the computer to go into a continuous loop or experience other issues when attempting to boot. ⁴,

Unfortunately, AV-Test has not included SpyHunter in their comprehensive testing analysis. If Enigmasoftware's SpyHunter was included, which we hope they attempt to do so, we would get a much clearer picture as to how it compares to other anti-spyware programs in terms of protection, detection, repair and usability.
 

Holy crap. How can this NOT be on every list? I mean what else would you call this behavior?

[Sniperfox47]

39 minutes ago, goodtofufriday said:

Holy crap. How can this NOT be on every list? I mean what else would you call this behavior?

 

Because it's cheaper for detection companies to go "UGH! FINE! We'll unlist you!" than to get into a lengthy and expensive drawn out legal battle with enigma, since the US justice system is a joke.

[Tieox]

I vote they settle this by sending a representative to a neutral place.

 

Then the person who can eat the most cheeseburgers while riding a unicycle wins their case, the loser agrees to the winners complaint and settles.

 

[Mira Yurizaki]

If it's bundled with an installer and I don't know about it and I didn't want to install it, it's a PUP. How hard is that to understand to some of these people? I've been reading Raymond Chen's book, maybe these companies should sue Microsoft for not allowing them to add their program on every fricking GUI interface in the world ( https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20060619-12/?p=30833, https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20141029-00/?p=43743)

[Sniperfox47]

43 minutes ago, M.Yurizaki said:

If it's bundled with an installer and I don't know about it and I didn't want to install it, it's a PUP. How hard is that to understand to some of these people? I've been reading Raymond Chen's book, maybe these companies should sue Microsoft for not allowing them to add their program on every fricking GUI interface in the world ( https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20060619-12/?p=30833, https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20141029-00/?p=43743)

Those two posts were hilarious but how scary is it to think that if Microsoft wasn't as bug as they are, it's a very real possibility that companies could threaten legal action to get Microsoft to do just that...

[Mira Yurizaki]

11 minutes ago, Sniperfox47 said:

Those two posts were hilarious but how scary is it to think that if Microsoft wasn't as bug as they are, it's a very real possibility that companies could threaten legal action to get Microsoft to do just that...

The scary one is the one where a company asked if there were any hooks into the Uninstall/Remove programs control panel so they could go in and uninstall their competitor's software.

[Sakkura]

Replaces Windows boot menu with GRUB, does the good old autorenewing subscription scam, the gall of these people to sue... it reminds me a little bit of Digital Homicide. I really hope it goes as well for Enigma as it did for Digital Homicide.

[TomShichō]

not related to this but Malwarebytes today marked IObit advanced system care (i used as registry cleaning tool and tracking cookie purger) as a pup with the latest definitions update.

[Sniperfox47]

I say good on them. It's better to let a customer know that something may have been installed without their knowledge, even if they purposefully installed it themselves, than to let it fester on the systems of the people who don't want or need it.