To check the Web shield protection, I attempted to redownload all of my malware samples. Naturally a fair number were no longer available from the original URL, but avast! caught well over half of the still-available ones before the download began. Next, I opened a folder full of sample malware installers in Windows Explorer. Even the minimal file access required to display file details in Windows Explorer was enough to set off the on-access protection—it wiped out over half the samples. When I tried again using unique hand-modified versions of all the samples, it caught exactly the same group, indicating that its detection system wasn't fooled by my tweaking.
For the samples that weren't immediately wiped out, I launched each in turn and noted avast!'s reaction. In most cases avast! did not kill the installer process itself, but it wiped out some or all of the executable files that were installed—I heard a lot of sirens! I gave it full credit if it prevented installation of all executable files associated with a threat and half credit if it tried but missed some executables. On this test it scored a phenomenal 9.6 of 10 points. That beats both WAV's 8.9 points and Spyware Doctor's 8.5. Again, this is a new test set, so we can't compare with older scores.
But avast! is clearly doing a superb job of preventing malware installation. avast!'s Resident Protection module blocks many possible routes that malware could use to sneak into your system. It scans files arriving via e-mail—POP3, IMAP, or Outlook/Exchange. It examines any file received through almost 20 different instant messaging clients and almost 30 different peer-to-peer download programs. Its "Web shield" can abort the download of a malicious file before it even starts. And it examines all programs on access. Clearly it will be tough for a malicious program even to reach your system, and even tougher for it to actually execute.
PREVIOUS --- Pspyware Psychology
Next--- The Features
For the samples that weren't immediately wiped out, I launched each in turn and noted avast!'s reaction. In most cases avast! did not kill the installer process itself, but it wiped out some or all of the executable files that were installed—I heard a lot of sirens! I gave it full credit if it prevented installation of all executable files associated with a threat and half credit if it tried but missed some executables. On this test it scored a phenomenal 9.6 of 10 points. That beats both WAV's 8.9 points and Spyware Doctor's 8.5. Again, this is a new test set, so we can't compare with older scores.
But avast! is clearly doing a superb job of preventing malware installation. avast!'s Resident Protection module blocks many possible routes that malware could use to sneak into your system. It scans files arriving via e-mail—POP3, IMAP, or Outlook/Exchange. It examines any file received through almost 20 different instant messaging clients and almost 30 different peer-to-peer download programs. Its "Web shield" can abort the download of a malicious file before it even starts. And it examines all programs on access. Clearly it will be tough for a malicious program even to reach your system, and even tougher for it to actually execute.
PREVIOUS --- Pspyware Psychology
Next--- The Features
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