New Ad-Aware Offers Behavioral Detection 68
With the latest release of the popular anti-malware tool Ad-Aware, Lavasoft has added what is being referring to as "Genotype," a heuristic-based behavioral detection engine. In addition to a new (and what appears to be faster) method of detection and elimination, there are a few incremental updates like the simple/advanced toggle and a potentially always-on "gaming mode," which attempts to do real-time filtering while you are playing games, watching videos, or just browsing.
Slightly Offtopic: Not Genotype (Score:3, Informative)
As a trained biologist, I take exception to the failure to analogize properly. A genotype is the genetic description of an organism. This has nothing to do with a system that learns from experience.
Those who create software: Please, if you are going to use a word from a different field to name or describe your program, try to pick a word that creates some sort of sensible analogy rather than choosing one that sounds cool and is unused. Otherwise, you risk sounding like an idiot.
Re:Slightly Offtopic: Not Genotype (Score:3, Informative)
From Wikipedia: [wikipedia.org]
Inspired by the biological concept and usefulness of genotypes, computer science employs simulated phenotypes in genetic programming and evolutionary algorithms. Such techniques can help evolve mathematical solutions to certain types of otherwise difficult problems.
I'm not saying that you're wrong, I'm just saying that once it's on Wikipedia you need to fight it there or give up the ship...
People still use Ad-Aware? (Score:5, Informative)
These days it keeps half a dozen processes running in the background with more to be opened if you do any kind of scan. I realize having real-time protection is a nice feature, having to go in and auto disable all these is a pain. If you're still getting malware on the go, so to speak, from websites, and aren't using a browser than's got security or at least security add-ons (Firefox + Noscript + ABP + Flashblock) then I could understand the need for it.
Add in an anti virus software that does the same X number of processes in the background plus Ad-Aware thats way more bogged down software than ever. Ad-Aware used to be simple, clean and sleek, now it's just bloated shovelware (how quickly did they move from Version X to SE, to Version X.1?)
Stick with Spybot, Malwarebytes, HijackThis and a decent backup like Nod32, Avast or AVG, imho.
Re:In other news ... (Score:2, Informative)
Re:People still use Ad-Aware? (Score:3, Informative)
SuperAntiSpyware [superantispyware.com] and Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware [malwarebytes.org] (thanks to the folks in http://www.dslreports.com/forum/security,1 [dslreports.com] for suggesting these) also don't hog your system like Windows' services. Run, scan, and clean on-demand. :)
Don't forget Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool (W2K SP4 has it too) with mrt.exe command.