In order to make sure that users have the best threat protection possible and to focus our development efforts on continuing to protect users from new threats, Malwarebytes has published a lifecycle policy effective December 8, 2016. The purpose of this policy is to establish clear guidance on the expected lifetime of our software and technologies. This usually occurs whenever we release a new version of existing software, when we have brand-new software/a major evolution of existing software, or when we choose not to release any more versions of a product for business or technology reasons.
The Malwarebytes Lifecycle Policy applies to major, minor, and patch/service versions of our software. A version marks an update to our software and/or technologies. Version numbers are generally (but not consistently) differentiated with the nomenclature “X.YY.Z”. Typically, a change in “X” indicates a major version update, which represents a large number of new features, bug fixes, and/or major software architectural or technological changes in the release. A change in “YY” indicates a minor version update, usually with a smaller number of new features and bug fixes. A change in (or addition of) “Z” represents a smaller planned patch or service release. In some cases, release versions may also be designated by Month and Year of general availability.
Malwarebytes products may include one or more separate software applications, each on their own lifecycle timeline. Furthermore, we may offer the same application in multiple products on separate lifecycle timelines. Please refer to the Product Lifecycle matrix located on each Product support page for more information.
When an individual software application is updated, it will be included in the latest version of the product delivery package. To access the update, simply re-download the delivery package from your original purchase document. If you don’t have access to your original purchase document, contact support.
Malwarebytes protection products include several prevention features that make up a layered defense strategy, protecting against daily threats. Each layer is designed to disrupt the attack chain at a different stage. While all Malwarebytes products are highly effective in dealing with attacks, our protection capabilities are most effective when you install all product components and take advantage of the full product suite, allowing each prevention layer to do the job for which it is best suited. While we understand that some customers use individual Malwarebytes standalone clients for remediation or to enhance an existing third-party endpoint security solution, relying only on one or two Malwarebytes standalone components (Anti-Malware, Anti-Exploit, or Anti-Ransomware) is not representative of the true protection capabilities of Malwarebytes when the full protection stack is deployed.
As technology continues to evolve we need to ensure that we focus our efforts on supporting the operating systems and conditions that our users are most frequently using. This helps us improve user experience by making our products widely accessible and yet finely tuned for various system configurations. Accordingly, Malwarebytes reserves the right to drop support for older operating systems, browsers, and other operating conditions with each release of a product or individual application. Generally, Malwarebytes does not recommend continued use of operating systems, browsers, and other operating conditions that are no longer supported by the developer.
End of Maintenance Milestone dates that were not communicated publicly prior to December 2016 will coincide with the Effective Date of the Lifecycle Policy. End of Life will be exactly 6 months from the End of Maintenance Date for Home applications, and 12 months from the End of Maintenance Date for Business and Technician applications.
Milestone Definitions
| What this is | What this means for you | |
| GA date | The date when a new version of our software is available for sale or public download (excluding Beta). | A new software version is available. If you have an older version, you should upgrade as soon as possible to get the latest feature updates. |
| End of Sale | The date when an older version of our software is no longer available for sale, renewal, or public download. | An older version of our product is no longer available to purchase or download. Typically, we release a new version to replace it on the same day. From time to time, we may choose to discontinue software in order to focus on newer iterations of our technologies; if we have chosen not to release any more new versions, we’ll provide instructions on how to migrate to another comparable Malwarebytes product, if available. |
| End of Maintenance | The date when we will no longer provide maintenance on an older version of our software. | Bugs happen. From the General Availability date until the End of Maintenance date, if we find a bug in an older version our software, we may choose to fix it as a hotfix or silent update. After the End of Maintenance date, we’ll provide technical support on the existing functionality of that version, and may choose to address bugs in a newer version of the software, if applicable. |
| End of Life | The date when we will no longer provide technical support on an older version of our software, exactly 6 months after the End of Maintenance date for Home applications and 12 months after End of Maintenance for Business and Technician applications. Versions that are past their End of Life date are considered “Legacy.” All versions that have not yet reached their End of Life date are considered “Active.” | If you are using an older version of our software that is past its End of Life date, technical support will be limited to help with answering common product usage questions and any existing self-help resources will still be available. You may continue to use the older version at your own risk, but the product will no longer provide ongoing protection updates, maintenance, or patches. |
| Supported OS Change Info | Malwarebytes has made a change to support for one or more operating systems listed in this column, concurrent with the GA date of a new version. | There will be no updates in future versions for the listed operating system(s); this includes additional product enhancement or features. In order to get access to any protection updates utilizing updated detection technologies or techniques in newer versions, you will need to upgrade to a newer supported operating system. We may choose not to declare End of Maintenance for a final version that supports a listed operating system immediately upon the release of the next version, but will make such declaration at a later date. We may release bug fixes, stability improvements, and other upgrades for the listed operating system on an as needed basis. When possible, if you are using a listed operating system, you will continue to receive any available protection updates that are supported in the last compatible version until its End of Maintenance date, and you will be able to continue to use the last compatible version on the listed operating system until the End of Life date for the version. However, at Malwarebytes’ discretion, we may choose to fully drop support for a listed operating system with the release of a new version. |