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Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: littlemamas on October 12, 2003, 05:29:46 PM

Title: Update Files
Post by: littlemamas on October 12, 2003, 05:29:46 PM
 ???

i was wondering

wont the AVAST 4 program continue to get BIGGER in file size for "downloads" since more and more viruses continue to come along? It will need more info therefore the file size of the program will continue to get bigger and bigger????????

or is there a trick to this?
if it gets bigger ,,,how big does it get???

umm le tme knows :D
Title: Re:Update Files
Post by: littlemamas on October 12, 2003, 05:42:40 PM
so? umm everyone forgot bout me?????
*cries* :P
Title: Re:Update Files
Post by: techie101 on October 12, 2003, 05:43:38 PM
littlemamas,

Yes and No....

Since many new viruses are derivatives or off-shoots of existing virii, AVAST simply modifes and updates the definitions the scan engine uses, making it more efficient as far as increasing file size goes.

However, in time, the size of the database must increase, but there is no other way to offer full protection.

The AVAST Team will update/overwrite older viruses with new information, and add new ones that are "borne".

Another excellent feature of AVAST is its' heuristic scan which helps with "in the wild" virii.  If you are not familiar with the term heuristic....
Simply it means:  If it walks like a duck, and quakes like a duck....then it must be a duck.
Avast uses a heuristic scan to watch for "new" suspect files which "fit" the pattern of a virus.  They may not always be a true (positive) virus, but it still is better to err on the side of caution.

Happy Avasting!
 ;D

Title: Re:Update Files
Post by: kubecj on October 13, 2003, 12:09:32 AM
littlemamas,

the trick is in 'differential' updating.

Lets say that today we have these definitions in VPS file:
sig A, sig B, sig C.

The next update would have:
sig A, sig D, sig B, sig C.

Instead of sending the whole update, we send only info:
read old file, copy 1 sig, insert sig D, copy 2 sigs, save new file.

The same applies to program files.
Title: Re:Update Files
Post by: Lisandro on October 13, 2003, 05:06:22 AM
littlemamas,
War is over!  ;D
Techie and kubecj said everything  8)