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Why some users are having problems searching with Google

Problem was caused by popular antivirus software Malwarebytes

Graeme Massie
Los Angeles
Wednesday 21 September 2022 19:04 BST
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Users have reported problems using Google, but the issue does not lie with the Internet search giant, according to reports.

The DownDetector website, which tracks Internet problems and outages, saw a spike in complaints about Google Search on Tuesday morning.

But Google.com is not down, and instead, the issue is related to a problem with the popular antivirus software Malwarebytes.

“We are aware of a temporary issue with the web filtering component of our product that may be blocking certain domains, including (google.com). We are actively working on a fix and will update Twitter as soon as we have more information,” the company’s Twitter account stated.

And shortly after that initial message, the company tweeted that they had resolved the problem.

“The issue is now resolved, and the update should happen automatically. If you are still experiencing issues, please ensure the Malwarebytes client is updated to the latest version.”

The issue seemingly started at around 11am ET, and caused access problems to google.com, as well as Gmail and YouTube.

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