Security company plans on expanding anti-PUP arsenal

Jun 23, 2015 11:54 GMT  ·  By

The capabilities of Junkware Removal Tool (JRT) for detecting and eliminating adware, spyware, toolbars and potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) will become available in Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, as the product has been acquired by the security company.

Developed by Filipos Mouliatis, JRT has been for a long time a reliable ally for getting rid of software that bring no value to the user and oftentimes are nothing but a nuisance.

Developer has a place in the research team

The acquisition was announced by Marcin Kleczynski, Malwarebytes CEO, in a forum post on Monday, without offering any details about the financial side of the deal.

He said that JRT’s scanning mechanisms and removal routines would be assimilated by Malwarebytes’ product line. Mouliatis will be part of this process and join the security company’s research team in Houston, Texas.

Until its integration in Malwarebytes’ software, JRT will continue to be available as a standalone product and work as before.

It launches without installation and runs in Command Prompt, although working with it is simple even for the average user.

Before proceeding with the junkware removal tasks, JRT takes the precaution of backing up Windows Registry files, allowing it to be restored should something go wrong.

JRT still available for download over the next few months

“Let’s face it, PUPs are a growing problem, and the Junkware Removal Tool is a fantastic addition to strengthen our ability to address them,” said Kleczynski.

“With this move and others to come, we’re doubling down on expanding our PUP protections, and our customers will see the benefits very soon,” he added.

Junkware is often promoted in free software to generate revenue. However, numerous third-party applications are annoying, misleading or have a harmful effect on the system, spending its resources unnecessarily or making changes without the consent of the user.

There is no definite deadline for when JRT will be part of Malwarebytes’ products, but Kleczynski says that the process will occur over the next few months.