AppGuard®
Closes Your AntiVirus Protection Gap Without Slowing Your PC Down

AppGuard is for people that realize their traditional or legacy antivirus is only effective for traditional cyber attacks (i.e., old malware).  Adding AppGuard protects you even when no virus signature/definition exists because AppGuard does not use signatures to protect you.

  • Surf, Search, Shop, and Bank Online Safely
  • Harmlessly Open Email Attachments and Internet downloads
  • Play videos and games without Fear
  • Use Facebook and other Social Media free of Malware Infestations
  • Insert USB Thumb drives without concern of infection
  • Run Out-of-Date Software Applications Despite Vulnerabilities
  • Know that Your Family Photos and other valuable content are safe

 

AppGuard: A Better Approach to Computer Protection

Traditional anti-virus/spyware attempts to identify viruses and other malware based on its digital signature. This approach is rapidly losing its effectiveness. It is getting worse each year because it hopelessly attempts to characterize the things we let into our computers as either good or bad. AppGuard is far more practical. Instead, it blocks harmful actions when these things turn out to be bad.

For example, when Adobe Reader opens a tainted PDF, AppGuard prevents Adobe Reader from being used to work for the cyber criminals.  Also, AppGuard either prevents any malicious executables that Adobe Reader downloads from either launching at all or by letting it launch but blocking harmful actions.  For other attack vectors, AppGuard restricts what applications, software installations, and scripts may execute, and if they do launch, what they can and cannot do. 

Other security products have sought to do the same as AppGuard.  However, they lack our patented technology that makes this approach simple and practical for all computer users.

Exceptional Protection - Made to be Simple

Most advanced anti-malware security software for zero-day, re-crafted, and targeted malicious code attacks require their users to become security experts.  AppGuard was designed to minimize such dependencies.  For example, if something potentially bad should happen, AppGuard does not present a prompt box asking the user if it should be allowed.  Only security experts should make such decisions.

 

Features Benefits
User-Space Protection
Prevents known and unknown malicious code (e.g., software and scripts) in user-space (e.g., wherever a user without local admin rights can save files, such as "My Documents") from harming a PC
  • Visit Compromised Websites Without Computer Getting Infected via a Drive-by Download Attack
  • Safely open documents and media files from email or Internet downloads
  • Harmlessly Use Infected USB Thumb Drives
Guarded Execution
Software applications commonly targeted by cyber criminals are placed under guard to prevent PC harm. Any other executables spawned by a guarded application becomes guarded itself.  This patented technology radically simplifies the user experience.  Other advanced protection products lacking this are too complex for most users.
  • Visit Compromised Websites Without Your Web Browser(s) Being Used to Install Malware in your PC
  • Open any document or play any media file harmlessly
Privacy Mode
An extension to 'Guarded Execution' that prevents software applications commonly targeted by cyber criminals from accessing user content in designated folders without user permission
  • Prevents Advanced Information Theft Attacks, some of which minimize detection risks by loading malicious executables
  • Defeats Ransom-Ware Attacks that Encrypts User Content and Provide a Decryption Key After Receiving Payment
MemoryGuard
 Blocks inter-process code injection attacks
  • Blocks Extremely Stealthy and Insidious Malware Attacks Routinely Elude Other Security Products Completely
Memory Read Protection
Prevents other software from reading an application's memory
  • Defeats RAM Scrapers, a Growing Class of Advanced Malware that Steals Sensitive Data, Information, and Credentials from the Memory of Software Applications
InstallGuard (a.k.a., "Install Mode")
Prevents All Changes to Your PC System Involving Installation Files (i.e., MSI) except those digitally signed by Microsoft
  • Protection from Cyber Attacks that Use a PC's Software Installation Facilities
  • Users Need Not Understand AppGuard Protection Mechanisms.  Instead, They Only Need to Turn on 'Install Mode' When Installing or Updating Software.
MBRGuard
Blocks All Write Operations to Master Boot Record (MBR)
  • Prevents Installation of Rootkit based Malware that is Practically Invisible to Software based Detection, Enabling Cyber Criminals to Secretly and Remotely Use a PC Indefinitely as part of a Botnet
Parental Controls
Ensure that AppGuard Controls Cannot be Altered or Circumvented by Children
  • Prevents Careless Actions by Children that Result in Costly Malware Infestations
  • (Optional) Children Cannot Run Unauthorized Software
TamperGuard
Kernel-level Controls that Prevent Disruption to AppGuard Protections and Controls
  • Protections and Controls Weather Sophisticated Cyber Attacks as well as Tampering by Users without Parental Control Privileges

Protection Levels
Enable Users to Quickly Adjust Many Different AppGuard Protection Features Simultaneously, and with Less Understanding of How They Work and What They Do.  The Following Summarizes the Protection Levels (the AppGuard built-in Help has more details):

High
• Only Applications on Guard List May Launch from User Space
• Enabled for All Guarded Applications: MemoryGuard, Memory Read Protection, Privacy Mode

Medium
• Any User Space Application May Launch but is Automatically Guarded with MemoryGuard and Privacy
   Mode Applied

Low
• Same as Medium Except that Scripts May Launch from User Space

Install
• Disables All User-Space Protections and InstallGuard
• Applications on Guard List Remain Guarded (can block app updates or installs launched by browser)

Off
• Disables All Protections
• Like Install Mode, Protections Automatically Re-Enable After 10 Minutes (Default) Unless “Re-Enable” is
   Unchecked

 

Main screen for AppGuard, which displays:
• Recent items blocked by AppGuard
• Status of AppGuard Protections
• Protection Level (i.e., a quick way to change protections)

In addition to changing Protection Levels, one can select individual blocking events for more information, to ignore, or to copy to send to someone assisting you.

Some blocking events reported are harmless and do not affect the relevant applications usage.  Users can select “Ignore Message” (shown above) so they never show above again and/or are not collected in the Windows Event Logs.

Changing “Protection Level” to “Install” mode is perhaps the most important tip for AppGuard users to know.  When installing or updating software, users should close all unnecessary applications then shift to “Install” mode by right-clicking on the AppGuard Tray icon.

Privacy Mode

When AppGuard is Installed, a new folder is created in User-Space called “MyPrivateFolder”.  Applications guarded with privacy mode cannot access the contents of this folder.  This blocks an uncommon yet sophisticated class of information theft or ransom-ware attacks that minimize detection risks by NOT installing or running malware, but hijacking an application such as Internet Explorer.  For users to download or upload something from this folder, users must right-click on the AppGuard tray icon:

After clicking the “Customize” button on the main screen, a set of more advanced tabs appear that enable users to customize and tweak AppGuard.