Malwarebytes launches Malwarebytes Privacy VPN service
Malwarebytes, best known for the security product that is also called Malwarebytes, unveiled Malwarebytes Privacy on April 23, 2020 officially.
Malwarebytes Privacy is a "next-gen VPN" according to the announcement on the company blog that "helps protect your privacy and your personal information when you go online". The company claims that the VPN is "much faster than traditional VPNs", does not slow down devices and uses less battery on portable devices.
Malwarebytes states that its VPN service does not collected user logs or Telemetry data and that user data remains private, even from the company itself.
As far as basic information is concerned, Malwarebytes Privacy is only available for Windows 7 and newer versions of Windows at the time of writing. Malwarebytes is working on clients for Apple Macintosh, Apple iOS, Google Android, and Chrome devices but did not reveal when it plans to release the clients.
Interested users may sign up for €49.99 per year and use the VPN on up to five devices. A trial option is not available at the time of writing and the product page lacks vital information that users interested in the service may need to make a buying decision.
Information that is missing includes the number of supported locations and servers, confirmation that bandwidth/traffic is not restricted, details about the technical implementation other than that 256-bit AES encryption is used, and more.
The settings provided in the client are bare-bones at the time. You get auto-launch and auto-connection options, but that is it. The program lacks advanced features such as a kill switch, custom DNS settings, additional protections, e.g. blocking of known malware hosts, and others.
Closing Words
I was not able to test the service because there is no trial option available; Malwarebytes claims that its VPN performs better than competing services needs to be put to the test.
Right now, it looks like a hasty release even if tests verify the claims as the client is rather bare-bones and only available for Windows.
The company should consider launching a trial option for users interested in the service as some may want to test its performance before they make a buying decision.
The price is right there in the middle at the time of writing. It is not the cheapest option but also not the most expensive.
Compared to top of the class VPN services, it is lacking in many regards currently. Most obvious is the lacking of clients for mobile devices and other operating systems but there are others, including no option to configure the service without using the client and a lack of options in the clients.
Malwarebytes is not the only company that launched a VPN product this year. Cloudflare launched its Warp VPN last year for mobile devices and Mozilla launched Firefox Private Network VPN as well.
Now You: What is your take on Malwarebytes Privacy? Which VPN service do you use currently, and why?
Malwarebytes is an American company under US jurisdiction (5-Eyes) and as such it’s VPN in open to US NSA… the all VPN data is un-encrypted, logged…
is there any such thing as a ” Private VPN ” ?
TOR is the closest thing that I know to being private.
About TOR:
See the facts about Tor here.
https://restoreprivacy.com/tor/
A VPN will encrypt all traffic on your operating system, while Tor only works in your browser, leaving everything else unencrypted, as explained in the Tor vs VPN guide.
https://restoreprivacy.com/vpn-vs-tor/
Loosely termed, one where you control both ends, meaning one you roll yourself on a server instance. Renting a VPS to roll your own VPN has some benefits over a commercial VPN provider, but also some drawbacks (server company knows your credit card info). In that sense, a truly private VPN would be one rolled on a server you own in a location you desire, protected by staff you trust. Yeah, expensive.
Never trust an American company offering VPN. You can safely browse pornhub with them no doubt. But do something against the interest of the First Order, you end up in Cuban shore.
If someone’s doing major subversive-type stuff on a VPN of any kind from any country you’re an idiot that deserves what you get. Most people’s use of a VPN is to watch/download movies, porn, pirate stuff. Hidden from the ISP is the goal.
“If someone’s doing major subversive-type stuff on a VPN”
I don’t think you realize the state of what is considered “subversive” in the US. Tech companies that have decided their job is to police the internet. They’re banning people for “hate speech” and Thought Crime if you do something like point out how Trump is fundamentally no different from Bush, Clinton, and Obama. Or if you say the US newsmedia is controlled by the CIA. This is enough to be considered “subversive” in the US to the point where companies like Google and Facebook will ban you. Remember, if Google or Facebook ban you not only is your account banned, your real-world identity is banned because these companies require your credentials and SMS to register.
This is why people need anonymity on the internet, because ***your real world life can be harmed by US tech companies.***
@Now You: What is your take on Malwarebytes Privacy? Which VPN service do you use currently, and why?
The “Malwarebytes” product (adwcleaner) is excellent, but…
However, there is no interest in products for which specific information is not disclosed.
I’ve been using “NordVPN” for many years and have been happy with all the “features, performance, reliability and price”.
Sentence correction:
The “Malwarebytes†products (adwcleaner) are excellent, but…
FYI,
Best VPN Services: Only These 7 VPNs Passed (April 2020) | restoreprivacy
https://restoreprivacy.com/best-vpn/
This is slightly misleading. They say only these 7 passed. But then don’t mention what other VPNs they tested. Did only those 7 pass out of the 10 they tested? Which don’t pass? I’d like to know which VPNs don’t pass.
I’d like a VPN review site which doesn’t earn affiliate commissions on VPN subscriptions.
@G said on April 24, 2020 at 2:41 pm
> It is made clear at the beginning:
Best VPN Services: Only These 7 VPNs Passed (April 2020) | restoreprivacy
https://restoreprivacy.com/best-vpn/
We (restoreprivacy.com) have tested all the popular VPN services on the market and ranked the best VPNs that meet the following criteria:
1. Passed all tests with no data leaks found (no IP address leaks or DNS leaks)
2. Good performance throughout the server network (speed and reliability)
3. High-quality VPN apps with all features working correctly
4. Supports the OpenVPN protocol and strong encryption standards
5. Offers a money-back guarantee
6. Trustworthy and well-established VPN provider with a good track record
7. Located in a safe privacy jurisdiction (outside of Five Eyes countries, such as the US and UK) to keep your data safe
About restoreprivacy.com
Restore Privacy was created to provide you with honest, useful, and up-to-date information about online privacy and security topics. You can support our work through donations and sharing info from the site with others.
You can see our mission here:
https://restoreprivacy.com/mission/
Restore Privacy is also on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/ResPrivacy
@G said,
I’d like to know which VPNs don’t pass.
> If you have any doubts or questions, you can post them on the site (“Comment” column at the bottom of the page)
Not the best VPNs. Just the best commission for them more likely.
@Trey,
Can you live without an income?
There is a price to be paid for things.
The etymology of the word “service” is “servant”, and it is a trade-off relationship with a commensurate price (consideration).
People who don’t understand that relationship shouldn’t comment.
@Trey
Da fuq? Go to any of these sites, RestorePrivacy, VPN Mentor, VPN Pro, TorrentFrean and you’ll notice their Top VPNs list almost always correlates to the affiliate banners/ads they have on display. You’re saying this is alright?
This is the only site I’ve found that’s worth a damn; https://thatoneprivacysite.net/
Not perfect. For example, they (he?) only rate performance based on openvn, so if you’re lookin for WireGuard or IKEv2 performance metrics for your mobile device, you’re out of luck. Nor do they do the usual geographic streaming tests. It’s almost purely weighted by privacy policies.
Sorry, the above comment was meant for @owl.
I agree with @Trey
I use Windscribe, a Canadian vpn. People immediately point out that Canada is a member of Five-Eyes. So what? If you don’t keep logs, you can’t respond to requests for information from law enforcement and governments. Go fish is Windscribe’s response to that silliness. I’ve seen a summary of law enforcement requests they’ve had and their response to said requests, but I can’t locate the link right now.
Is it proprietary like Malwarebytes?
I have a lifetime license for Malwarebytes which I purchased quite some time ago. But I use Mullvad VPN which is one of only two VPNs which support the Wireguard protocol (as far as I’m aware). I wouldn’t be interested in a VPN which doesn’t have Wireguard as an option.
Malwarebytes seems to be just reselling Mullvad anyway.
https://mullvad.net/en/help/partnerships-and-resellers/
“Right out of the gate with WireGuard
Most significantly, Malwarebytes Privacy uses a “newer and faster VPN protocol,” according to its website. We’ve confirmed with Malwarebytes that that protocol is WireGuard.
That suddenly changes the game. WireGuard, which is lighter and faster than the OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPsec protocols in wide use, is only now being rolled out by major VPN services to their users. NordVPN added WireGuard yesterday (April 22), and Mullvad added WireGuard to its iOS app just last week.”
https://www.tomsguide.com/news/malwarebytes-privacy-vpn
It would be nice for Ghacks to explain this “next-gen VPN,” [not-so-new] VPN protocol named Wireguard because few major players use it unless a user requests it. It’s a great protocol from nearly all perspectives–especially security.
From comments, it sounds like one reader actually wondered about Wireguard, assuming all VPNs are OpenVPN?
Don’t know.
FYI,
OpenVPN vs IPSec, WireGuard, L2TP, & IKEv2 (VPN Protocols) | August 13, 2019 By Sven Taylor
https://restoreprivacy.com/openvpn-ipsec-wireguard-l2tp-ikev2-protocols/
WireGuard VPN: What You Need to Know (Still NOT Ready?) | June 28, 2019 By Sven Taylor
https://restoreprivacy.com/wireguard/
According to an article on the site VioletMoon cited (Tom’s Guide):
The current industry trend is to add non-antivirus features, such as backup software, cloud storage, identity theft protection and password managers, to antivirus suites in an attempt to present customers with fully comprehensive security packages.
Along those lines, Malwarebytes says that its VPN service is “the first offering in an emerging suite of privacy products,” so we can probably expect more non-malware-related products from the company in the near future.
Furthermore:
The best VPN service 2020 | Tom’s Guide by James Rivington 4 days ago
https://www.tomsguide.com/best-picks/best-vpn
FYI,
Malwarebytes Expands Into Privacy with Fast, Frictionless VPN | Malwarebytes Press Center – News & Events (April 23, 2020)
https://press.malwarebytes.com/2020/04/23/malwarebytes-expands-into-privacy-with-fast-frictionless-vpn/
To read more about Malwarebytes, visit our blog,
https://blog.malwarebytes.com/
follow us on Twitter,
https://twitter.com/malwarebytes
or check us out on LinkedIn.
https://www.linkedin.com/company/malwarebytes
I think my love affair with Mullvad is about to come to an end (again). I stopped using their VPN about five years ago because they created an app using OpenDNS which caused overheating problems on my treasured Windows 8.1 laptop.
But then Wireguard became available on Mullvad and I signed up again for a year. However, this evening none of their Wireguard servers work regardless of location. I sent them a support request but don’t expect a reply until tomorrow given that it’s already nighttime in the Netherlands where I live.
Anyway, I thought I might as well install there OpenDNS app again to see if they had made any improvements. I note though that the app now contains both OpenDNS and Wireguard. You can switch between the two without having to exit OpenDNS. However, the overheating issue has returned regardless of the VPN protocol in use. So there’s something in their app which is causing the problem.
I also have a subscription to AzireVPN which also supports Wireguard and am logged into it now. But my machine is running cool as ice so it looks like I’ll be saying bye-bye to Mullvad once more which is a shame really since they have so many servers while Azire has only five none of which are in the Netherlands.
iVPN supports wireguard on all platforms
You’re thinking of OpenVPN, not OpenDNS.
the thing of VPN’s is “Trust”..they are not audit and no one knows exactly who is behid this VPN’s..there for not trustworthy..none of them are. You are exchanging your info from your ISP to some stranger who tells you they don’t keep logs, yeah right. lol
RE: “Which VPN service do you use currently, and why?”
I primarily use Mullvad. I like that you don’t need to give an email address and can even pay in cash (I paid in crypto though, since my location is a bit inconvenient to mail cash to them). Linux friendly, WireGuard ready, ipv6 ready.
For certain scenarios I roll my own IKEv2/IPSec tunnel on a DigitalOcean VPS droplet. Just search Github for Algo VPN.
@Matti,
If you don’t mind me asking, which of the four available catergories on DigitalOcean is the best one to setup a virtual server on to handle an Algo VPN?
Also, which plan is the most appropriate for a VPN? I notice the $10 a month Starter plan is highlighted on their site already at https://www.digitalocean.com/docs/droplets/how-to/create/?refcode=c8c27c60df3b but maybe you’d recommend a different one.
Thanks in advance.
@TeIV
Sorry mate, only just noticed your post.
The cheapest $5 droplet is more than sufficient in terms of performance from anywhere between one to a dozen concurrent users. It’s what I’ve always used. Then again, my data requirements aren’t that high. Unless you’re configuring it for a small/medium enterprise business, you should base your Droplet selection on data transfer limit, not CPU performance or SSD storage.
Fwiw, in my experience DigitalOcean aren’t as strict with transfer quotas and won’t charge extra if you exceed the 1TB limit by a bit. I once used close to 1.5TB and my card was still charged the same $5 (plus whatever taxes).
You can search around for some sites that offer DigitalOcean referrals. That way, you’ll be given free $10 credit which would enable you to try it out yourself. Do note that your card will still be charged and the amount will be rebated to you (in my case, it was 2 weeks) later.
Hope this helps.
I will consider Firefox VPN when it become stable.
Surely supporting of mozilla is one reason.
I trust protonVPN than anything else
So do I. Proton Mail & Proton VPN are about the most private you can find.
Everyone seems to want you to use their VPN these days.
Unless you’re in love with MalwareBytes, I doubt many are going to shell out the yearly cost for this. The Premium version with lots of extras is exactly what you don’t want in a VPN; a VPN should provide a secure tunnel and hide your IP, nothing else.
Stupid promotion IME, if they, like most VPN’s, offered a month by month plan, they’d get a lot of interest. MalwareBytes says they’re fast, don’t give concrete evidence or methodology, then charge you for a year to find out? Uh, Nope. They seem to be following a predictable path to CCleaner/Avast Land. Not good.
I’ve used many VPN’s, some start out OK, then flake, a few remain good over time. My VPN use is mainly to avoid tracking and ads but if I’m paying for a VPN service, it must do what it’s supposed to and stay out of the way.
Some flags:
A VPN or private email that requires a phone number or email address to subscribe. Unless it’s a burner phone and you destroy it, no phones are in any way secure or private, they’re telecommunication devices, they can’t be and still be legal. Not at all the same as computers.
Proton, Express and many others.
VPN’s that put ads, even ads for their services, in the client.
Express, Windscribe and others.
VPN’s that tout extras; ad blockers, computer utilities, whatever. None of those things belong anywhere near a VPN; it’s a secure tunnel, period.
Far too many these days.
VPN’s that don’t take themselves seriously. They’re sarcastic. You want a serious service you can trust, not something geared toward teens. Windscribe and Express do this.
Take the five/fourteen eyes thing seriously if you really need privacy.
No logs isn’t the same as no court ordered surveillance on individual users. This isn’t a big deal for most users but is for some.
If you want to assure more anonymity on Tor, use it inside a VPN. Exit nodes are easy to watch, at least make it difficult.
Browser based VPN is crazy, browsers have constant security problems with huge attack surfaces. Opera’s is just a proxy server, what does it do? Who knows, data collection, dedicated connection to Uranus? Opera’s bizarre overall.
If I were to recommend one VPN, it would be Mullvad. I used it for a year a while back but had issues with my hardware and it expired. Should try it again, they have a decent client interface now and you really are just a number to them.
I have a lifetime license for Windscribe from long ago and install the client if my primary two VPN’s have problems. AFAIK, it’s impossible to keep it from loading on machine start up without entering the password each time it’s opened. Bad behavior, it should start on client open. Otherwise, it’s OK but remains uninstalled unless needed.
Pay for a month of a prospective VPN and see if you like it. Free versions aren’t representative, collect your data, then you subscribe to the same service? Uh, Nope.
Do a lot of research. After sorting through hundreds of VPN’s and trying dozens, maybe ten were true VPN’s.
It appears Malwarebytes Privacy uses Mullvad’s server network according to the partnerships page on Mullvad’s website; https://mullvad.net/en/help/partnerships-and-resellers/
I’m already a Mullvad user (almost 3 years). Aside from wishing they included some form of DNS-level ad/tracker-blocking (like iVPN offers, for example), I’ve been happy with their service, especially since I switched to the WireGuard servers around 18 months ago, but should I be concerned by their recent partnerships with Mozilla and Malwarebytes?
ULBoom published his personal views based on his “abundance experience†and “extensive knowledgeâ€.
His closing words, “Do a lot of research.†are a suggestion to users.
In other words, you should decide for yourself what is right for you.
@Matti,
But should I be concerned by their recent partnerships with Mozilla and Malwarebytes?
Both ULBoom and I consistently trust Mozilla, and We favor Firefox ESR.
Malwarebytes should be evaluated by users themselves who need the features they provide. Because, values and preferences “differ even among friends and close relativesâ€.
@ULBoom
“I have a lifetime license for Windscribe from long ago and install the client if my primary two VPN’s have problems. AFAIK, it’s impossible to keep it from loading on machine start up without entering the password each time it’s opened. Bad behavior, it should start on client open. Otherwise, it’s OK but remains uninstalled unless needed.â€
Something is not right either with your Windscribe installation or configuration. I’ve been a lifetime Windscribe user for close to four years and I’ve never run into this problem. I can’t figure out why it behaves that way for you. Have you tried getting in touch with their support team?
Sure, Windscribe has its shortcomings when compared to some other high end VPNs but, all in all, it’s pretty well featured and it’s rock solid on my computer and my tablet.
YMMV
this is exactly what the we need right now, one more VPN. because there really aren’t enough to choose from /s