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How to avoid potentially unwanted programs
PUP.Optional.Imali is Malwarebytes’ generic detection name for a family of potentially unwanted programs PUPs targeting the Chrome browser. Their counterparts for Firefox generally have specific detection names.
You may find Chrome extensions of this type:
and users of affected computers may have seen these warnings during install:
and notice a newtab page similar to this one:
PUP.Optional.Imali usually comes in the form of a browser extension that hijacks the newtab of the affected browser setting it to one of their own search sites.
PUP.Optional.Imali generally is downloaded from the Chrome webstore since most of the extensions are Chrome extensions.
Malwarebytes protects users from PUP.Optional.Imali by blocking their domains.
Malwarebytes can detect and remove PUP.Optional.Imali without further user interaction.
A Malwarebytes log of removal will look similar to this:
Malwarebytes www.malwarebytes.com -Log Details- Scan Date: 11/12/18 Scan Time: 8:56 AM Log File: 7593243e-e650-11e8-8808-00ffdcc6fdfc.json -Software Information- Version: 3.6.1.2711 Components Version: 1.0.482 Update Package Version: 1.0.7799 License: Premium -System Information- OS: Windows 7 Service Pack 1 CPU: x64 File System: NTFS User: {computername}\{username} -Scan Summary- Scan Type: Threat Scan Scan Initiated By: Manual Result: Completed Objects Scanned: 237978 Threats Detected: 15 Threats Quarantined: 15 Time Elapsed: 2 min, 39 sec -Scan Options- Memory: Enabled Startup: Enabled Filesystem: Enabled Archives: Enabled Rootkits: Enabled Heuristics: Enabled PUP: Detect PUM: Detect -Scan Details- Process: 0 (No malicious items detected) Module: 0 (No malicious items detected) Registry Key: 0 (No malicious items detected) Registry Value: 1 PUP.Optional.Imali.Generic, HKCU\SOFTWARE\GOOGLE\CHROME\PREFERENCEMACS\Default\extensions.settings|dlamfhohmjabfadgdmaogjbdjjadgkdb, Quarantined, [4620], [443118],1.0.7799 Registry Data: 0 (No malicious items detected) Data Stream: 0 (No malicious items detected) Folder: 3 PUP.Optional.Imali.Generic, C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\dlamfhohmjabfadgdmaogjbdjjadgkdb\0.8_0\_metadata, Quarantined, [4620], [443118],1.0.7799 PUP.Optional.Imali.Generic, C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\dlamfhohmjabfadgdmaogjbdjjadgkdb\0.8_0, Quarantined, [4620], [443118],1.0.7799 PUP.Optional.Imali.Generic, C:\USERS\{username}\APPDATA\LOCAL\GOOGLE\CHROME\USER DATA\DEFAULT\EXTENSIONS\DLAMFHOHMJABFADGDMAOGJBDJJADGKDB, Quarantined, [4620], [443118],1.0.7799 File: 11 PUP.Optional.NewTabTV, C:\USERS\{username}\APPDATA\ROAMING\MOZILLA\FIREFOX\PROFILES\{profile}.default\EXTENSIONS\{5849FC76-08E3-4D14-9D43-6BBA81FD99F0}.XPI, Quarantined, [2119], [507451],1.0.7799 PUP.Optional.Imali.Generic, C:\USERS\{username}\APPDATA\LOCAL\GOOGLE\CHROME\USER DATA\Default\Secure Preferences, Replaced, [4620], [443118],1.0.7799 PUP.Optional.Imali.Generic, C:\USERS\{username}\APPDATA\LOCAL\GOOGLE\CHROME\USER DATA\Default\Preferences, Replaced, [4620], [443118],1.0.7799 PUP.Optional.Imali.Generic, C:\USERS\{username}\APPDATA\LOCAL\GOOGLE\CHROME\USER DATA\DEFAULT\EXTENSIONS\DLAMFHOHMJABFADGDMAOGJBDJJADGKDB\0.8_0\REDIRECT.JS, Quarantined, [4620], [443118],1.0.7799 PUP.Optional.Imali.Generic, C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\dlamfhohmjabfadgdmaogjbdjjadgkdb\0.8_0\_metadata\computed_hashes.json, Quarantined, [4620], [443118],1.0.7799 PUP.Optional.Imali.Generic, C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\dlamfhohmjabfadgdmaogjbdjjadgkdb\0.8_0\_metadata\verified_contents.json, Quarantined, [4620], [443118],1.0.7799 PUP.Optional.Imali.Generic, C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\dlamfhohmjabfadgdmaogjbdjjadgkdb\0.8_0\background.js, Quarantined, [4620], [443118],1.0.7799 PUP.Optional.Imali.Generic, C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\dlamfhohmjabfadgdmaogjbdjjadgkdb\0.8_0\logo.png, Quarantined, [4620], [443118],1.0.7799 PUP.Optional.Imali.Generic, C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\dlamfhohmjabfadgdmaogjbdjjadgkdb\0.8_0\manifest.json, Quarantined, [4620], [443118],1.0.7799 PUP.Optional.Imali.Generic, C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\dlamfhohmjabfadgdmaogjbdjjadgkdb\0.8_0\popup.html, Quarantined, [4620], [443118],1.0.7799 PUP.Optional.Imali.Generic, C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\dlamfhohmjabfadgdmaogjbdjjadgkdb\0.8_0\redirect.html, Quarantined, [4620], [443118],1.0.7799 Physical Sector: 0 (No malicious items detected) WMI: 0 (No malicious items detected) (end)
Should users wish to keep this program and exclude it from being detected in future scans, they can add the program to the exclusions list. Here’s how to do it.
The Exclusions tab includes a list of items to be excluded from scans. The items may include files, folders, websites, or applications that connect to the Internet, as well as previously detected exploits.
To access the exclusions in Malwarebytes:
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