IOBit Steals Malwarebytes' Intellectual Property

A few days ago, I received an email advertising the China-based IOBit anti-malware software. Problem is, the program may be derived entirely from stolen property of other reputable vendors. One of the victim vendors, Malwarebytes, did some intensive investigation - including publishing fake signatures - to prove that IOBit was stealing their malware signature database. The proof is compelling, as explained in this Malwarebytes forum post.

A company that would steal another vendor's database could also likely stoop to other nefarious practices - such as claiming a system is infected just to extort fees for an alleged cleanup tool (aka scareware). That's not to say this is what IOBit is doing, but just to point out that one unethical act typically breeds another.

The IOBit download is featured on download.com and majorgeeks.com, demonstrating that just because a download is featured on a legitimate site, it doesn't mean the download itself is legit. What can you do? Avoid using IOBit for starters. And perhaps act on the request from Malwarebytes "to send an email to hosting services such as Download.com and Majorgeeks.com requesting that all IOBit software be removed".