Will 6.0 cause avast! to move up in dynamic testing?

[dagrev]

Below is the link for the dynamic test results.  It's not news, but my question for people who actually know is will 6.0 get avast! nearer the top, and how and why?  I like avast! and hope this will be the case, but was wondering about this.

Currently it's 8th out of the 14 tested from this respected site.  That's not as good as I would have hoped for, so I'd love to see avast get up near the top.

http://www.av-comparatives.org/images/stories/test/dyn/wholedynamic2010.pdf

Thanks,

[DavidR]

Well this is really using an old version of avast, in 5.0 the Behaviour Shield was very limited in its scope.

I avast 5.1 this had more rules/filters added, but the behaviour shield was in passive mode, effectively gathering data so that rules/filters can be fine tuned. This is to provide a better balance between being to strict causing false detections or too lax and not catching some unknown/zero day stuff.

Avast 6 beta has further upgraded the behaviour shield but still passive gathering data, but people are seeing it responding more. Also introduced in the Pro/AIS versions is the Process Virtualisation (Sandbox), now no matter what the risk, if you are running your browser virtualised you are at less of a risk even if something isn't stopped with the normal shields.

Interestingly the free version of avast 6 will have an Auto Sandbox feature also (not the full selective process virtualisation of the paid versions), but this based on other information, unknown, unsigned, suspicious (behaviour shield, etc.), location run from (USB, external, etc.), will trigger a dialogue box recommending you run this in the sandbox. The user has the choice to do this or select another option.

So yes I believe avast 6 will be better.

[dagrev]

I sure hope so.  6.0 sounds promising, but sounding and doing are two entirely different things.  It would seem if there is no significant improvement avast! will start looking somewhat average.  Great for free but average for paid.  It will be nive to see reputable testing of 6.0.

[Dch48]

It certainly might make it move up in that ranking but my concern is at what cost in usability. I certainly don't want to see Avast! become just another annoying HIPS or HIPS-like application. That would force me to move on to MSE which I really don't want to do.

[dagrev]

It certainly might make it move up in that ranking but my concern is at what cost in usability. I certainly don't want to see Avast! become just another annoying HIPS or HIPS-like application. That would force me to move on to MSE which I really don't want to do.

Why the dislike for HIP?  Is it all the notifications?  If so I can understand that aspect, but do like the sandbox concept--just not all the notifications from things not on the white-list.  Though I use Rollback RX and can easily just go back before most attacks--I hope.

[danny96]

http://www.av-comparatives.org/images/stories/test/dyn/wholedynamic2010.pdf

WOW! ESET is under avast!

[dagrev]

It is, but there's plenty above avast! as well.  Being in the middle is not what I'd like to see when the new versions are tested.

[DavidR]

personally I don't care much about tests but about a) real life experience and b) the knowledge that avast will continue to strive to have better protection levels.

The av-comparitives testing will also have to change in some ways as it won't be able to test the new features in avast 6.0 designed to prevent damage (auto-sandboxing in free and selective sandboxing, safe-zone, in the paid options). So if these tests were repeated in avast 6 AIS (instead of avast 5 AIS in this test) it may otherwise not see a huge change if these other features aren't tested as the other AVs are unlikely to have them.

Remember we are playing with small margins anyway with the gap from avast to the top of the pile being 2.5%

[Nesivos]

Well this is really using an old version of avast, in 5.0 the Behaviour Shield was very limited in its scope.

I avast 5.1 this had more rules/filters added, but the behaviour shield was in passive mode, effectively gathering data so that rules/filters can be fine tuned. This is to provide a better balance between being to strict causing false detections or too lax and not catching some unknown/zero day stuff.

Avast 6 beta has further upgraded the behaviour shield but still passive gathering data, but people are seeing it responding more. Also introduced in the Pro/AIS versions is the Process Virtualisation (Sandbox), now no matter what the risk, if you are running your browser virtualised you are at less of a risk even if something isn't stopped with the normal shields.

AIS 5.1.889.

I am actively on the Net with this computer about 10 hours a day

Behavior Shield Traffic History is showing an average of 3 scanned items per day over the last month.

About a month so after I install 6.X I will check to see if there is a change in the daily number of items scanned by the Behavior Shield