Use AI to Figure Out Suspicious Stuff On Your Computer
I recently encountered something curious: the phrase “[Suspicious Content]” appeared on something I copy+pasted.
I didn’t know what was going on. So I asked AI.
I wrote this prompt:
I copied a blog post I wrote on Substack and pasted it to Medium. At the top, before my first words, I found the phrase: [Suspicious Content] I didn't write this. It wasn't in the content I copied. Where did it come from? Why is it there? What can I do about it?
This was AI’s answer:
The phrase "[Suspicious Content]" was most likely added automatically by a browser extension called Malwarebytes Browser Guard, which you may have installed in your web browser (such as Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Brave). This extension monitors clipboard activity as part of its security features. When you copy text from a website (in this case, from Substack), it can detect if a site is accessing or modifying your clipboard in a way it considers potentially risky—such as scripts on the page interacting with the clipboard without clear user intent. To alert you, the extension appends or prepends this warning label to the copied content when you paste it elsewhere (like into Medium's editor).
This isn't something Medium or Substack added—it's a client-side intervention from the extension on your device. The feature is designed to protect against threats like clipboard hijacking (e.g., malware that swaps copied cryptocurrency addresses or injects malicious links), but it can trigger false positives on legitimate sites, leading to annoyance for users.
In your scenario, Substack's page might have had JavaScript or other elements that the extension flagged as suspicious clipboard access during the copy action.To address it:
Confirm the cause: Open your browser's extensions menu (e.g., in Chrome: click the puzzle icon > Manage extensions; in Firefox: menu > Add-ons and themes). Look for "Malwarebytes Browser Guard" or similar security extensions (other tools like certain antivirus browser add-ons might behave similarly, but this is the most commonly reported culprit).
Temporary workaround: Disable the extension temporarily before copying and pasting your content. Right-click the extension icon in your browser toolbar and select "Disable" or "Pause," then try the paste again. Re-enable it afterward if you want to keep using it for other protections.
Disable the specific feature: As of recent reports, Malwarebytes is working on adding a direct toggle to turn off the clipboard warning in the extension's settings, but it may not be available yet.
If you see a pop-up warning during copy/paste, there might be an option like "Disable for this site" (though users report it doesn't always work reliably). Check the extension's settings page for any options related to "clipboard protection" or "suspicious content warnings" and turn them off if present.
Permanent fix: If the feature is too intrusive and you don't need the extension's other benefits (like ad-blocking or malware site blocking), uninstall it entirely from your browser's extensions menu. You can always reinstall it later from the Malwarebytes website or your browser's add-on store.
If it's not Malwarebytes: Scan your extensions list for other security/privacy tools (e.g., from antivirus software) and test disabling them one by one to isolate the source. If nothing matches, try pasting in a different browser or incognito mode to rule out extensions.
If this doesn't resolve it, provide more details like your browser type and any extensions you have installed for further troubleshooting.
You can copy this prompt into your favorite AI here: ChatGPT Grok Gemini