Windows 10: PUPs

How do you set Windows 10 to block PUPs

:)

 

Overrun by PUP's


Hi, @Skofab:

A bit of clarification...
As the others have pointed out, MBAM Free is only a manual, on-demand scanner that removes PUPs and malware already on the system.
MBAM Premium -- when properly configured -- can help to PREVENT PUPs/malware infection in the first place.

PUPs are not malware, in the strict sense of the term, as explained HERE. But they are generally junk that one likely does not not need or want and they can eventually get one into trouble with real malware.

Having said that, scanning for ROOTKITS and scanning for PUPs/PUMs are actually different settings.
In order to be sure MBAM is properly configured, open the dashboard > settings > detection and protection > non-malware protection and verify that both PUPs and PUMs are set to "treat detections as malware".

If your settings are correct, but the PUPs seem to come back with each scan, then the most likely explanations include:

• MBAM is having trouble removing them for some reason; and/or
• They are re-spawning, either from software/malware on the system, from Google sync or from another source.

If you would like, please follow the steps in THIS TUTORIAL to locate, export and post here as an ATTACHMENT to your next reply an MBAM SCAN LOG from one of the computers. That log may point to an explanation and possible solution.

Thanks,
MM

 

Overrun by PUP's


Hi:

Just to be clear, the ROOTKIT scanning setting in MBAM is separate and different from the PUP/PUM settings.
It's certainly fine to enable the anti-rootkit feature, but it's not likely to directly impact the behavior you reported in your original post (recurring PUPs in sequential MBAM scans).
Adding MBAE (Free or Premium) is another fine suggestion, but it won't fix your original issue, either.

To more directly fix that particular problem, it would help to know if your PUP/PUM settings in MBAM are correctly configured, as suggested in my earlier reply #4 here.
And, yes, the partial AdwCleaner log suggests that the PUPs are likely re-spawning from Google sync/Chrome/a Chrome extension.
But it would also help to see the MBAM scan log, as previously suggested.

>>Some PUPs (and some malware) can be rather pesky, requiring the use of multiple, powerful tools, in the correct sequence, as well as other interventions (e.g. resetting/reinstalling Chrome), for complete removal.

HTH,
MM

 

Overrun by PUP's

Just to reiterate:

Since the OP indicates that the PUP/PUM selections are being flagged in the MBAM scan, I assumed those were already set to "treat as malware". The problem is that they keep coming back, hence the need for the Rootkit option in MBAM, and the ADWCleaner log. Mindspark is notorious for respawns. The log clearly indicates problems with the Chrome browser extensions.

Now that ADWCleaner has been run, my recommendation would be to completely reset Chrome, Edge, and all other existing browsers on the system, removing all extensions, and then be very careful which ones you reintroduce to the browser(s).

You may also want to install Unchecky.

OldMike suggests a very good program here, which I use on all my systems, and those I work on as well.

Good luck!