Getting closer… Release Candidate 7.0 is almost here

The public beta program is now in full swing, and we'd like to thank you for the constructive feedback we've received so far! Both criticism and kudos are taken into account even as we enter the final stage before the official release.

The next milestone will be the delivery of the Outpost 7.0 Release Candidate (RC) to the public (an internal release candidate will be made available to Agnitum's beta tester community a little earlier), and that's not going to be long in coming. The scheduled date is in early May. RC will be available in five languages: English, French, German, Russian, and Spanish.

We'll keep you posted regarding availability, but in the meantime, here’s a quick reminder of the main new functionality in version 7 of Outpost Firewall Pro, Outpost Security Suite Pro and Outpost Antivirus Pro:

• Application guard prevents sensitive data stored by various Internet-enabled applications such as instant messaging, web browsers, e-mail clients and e-banking software from being compromised. NEW! A whole slew of new AppGuard rules has been added during this public beta stage.
• File and folder lock enables protection of locally-stored assets against corruption, modification or illegal access by other users or malware.
• Real-time file and registry activity provides an invaluable opportunity to inspect system events at close range by monitoring the activity of any given active process and tracking system changes in real time.
• Restored content filter analyzes web content and/or URL addresses for the presence of defined “stop” keywords before a certain page is loaded, steering the user away from suspicious or infective sources on the Internet.

Take a look and judge for yourself! We'll keep you updated on our progress.

The Release Candidate will be available at the public beta page.

Pavel Goryakin
Agnitum

Agnitum announces public beta program for Outpost 7

Without further ado, here's the public beta of Outpost 7!

Packed with new functionality and incorporating comprehensive support for Microsoft Windows 7, the latest versions add another layer of preventive protection and enhanced security to address both online and offline risk factors.

Outpost Security Suite Pro 7 adds:

• protection for cached login details and passwords, electronic wallet IDs, etc. stored by the browser, IM exchanges, and electronic payment processors
• protection against malware corruption for locally-stored digital valuables
• file and registry activity monitor
• updated user interface and compatibility following the introduction of Windows 7

Improvements to existing functionality include:

• enhanced scanning performance and usability
• extended anti-leak functionality

OSS 7 continues to provide Agnitum’s acclaimed personal firewall, traditional signature-based anti-spyware and anti-virus, heuristic analysis, proactive protection, ad- and malsite-blocking, and self-learning anti-spam.

Outpost Firewall Pro 7 and Outpost AntiVirus Pro 7 offer subsets of the suite’s functionality, focused respectively on protection against hacker attacks and malware protection.

Beta versions of all three products are available for download after a quick registration.

We're looking forward to your feedback! It's crucial for us to sweep out the troubles and move flawlessly towards the final release, and you can be of great help here.

Many thanks in advance!

Pavel Goryakin
Agnitum

Antivirus engine 5.1 – more tweaks to maintain a great scanner

Concurrently with Outpost 7 works we keep on improving our antivirus core. As you may have noticed we update the engine on a regular basis, this time we've incorporated another version - 5.1 to Outpost's structure. Here's what's new in the latest engine. Watch out, gobbledygook! :-)

For the sake of better performance and stability we've focused on processing several file types and algorithms which could cause potential slowdowns and false positives.

First of all, the new engine caters to the old good PDF.

The revised PDF support now handles linearized and updated PDF files as well as crafted ones. Adobe Reader often opens and repairs broken files successfully (either fully or partially), an aid to this - solid method of PDF-object identification and location helps to deal with broken files, too.

Most PDF objects and their belongings are generally harmless, thus they are not parsed by the engine. However, embedded Java-scripts may pose a real threat, so only the objects that contain those are decompressed and scanned for the presence of malware.

Besides, engine 5.1 smartly deals with SWF format that delivers vector graphics, text, video, and sound over the Internet and is supported by Adobe® Flash® Player.

The engine handles both compressed (CWF) and uncompressed (SWF) Flash files. A valid zlib-compressed CWF is extracted first into a valid uncompressed one. The uncompressed length stored in the file header is ignored for security reasons.

Last but not least, among the changes in Outpost antivirus core come AutoIt handling tweaks. AutoIt is a freeware BASIC-like scripting language designed for automation of Windows GUI and general scripting. The AutoIt format is very similar to self-extractors, it contains a PE executable stub and an overlay part, which encapsulates one or more resources including the powerful AutoIt script itself which can be executed automatically without user interaction. Due to the engine improvement AutoIT scripts are now normalized to help generic detections.

Minor improvements include:

• BZIP extra header is handled correctly
• MS CAB uses calculated compressed size instead of a stored one
• Unsupported ZIP compression methods are now accepted
• More tolerant ZIP detection is developed to recognize crafted ZIP files with hidden content
• Auto-scanned archive layers are processed during quarantine file scan
• Cleaning of locked files on Windows has been partially fixed
• Office Open XML format (Office12) fixes:

- False heuristic detection for this type of files has been removed.
- The internal object limit has been increased to avoid errors on valid PPT files.

In the bottom line, the new engine makes another firm step towards the golden balance of rock-solid security and impeccable performance. Antimalware 5.1 addresses problematic file formats and algorithms used in everyday computer life to eliminate possible issues and turn malware checks into a truly seamless process.

Pavel Goryakin
Agnitum

Outpost Pro 7.0 - Beta 4. Approaching Public Beta

On Friday, April 2, Agnitum Team compiled beta 4 version of Outpost Pro 7.0 solutions, this iteration is a predecessor of the public beta which should follow soon.

What's new in beta 4 compared to beta 3?

• Ability to block web pages according to keywords in page content or URL
• Redesign of main program windows
• Redesign of notification system (single notification settings dialog)
• Redesign of installation process.

Fixes:

• Randomly slow response when navigating GUI
• Slowdowns in PC operation
• A lot of other fixes and improvements.

Outpost Pro 7.0 supports Windows 2000, 2003, XP, Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7.

Keep your eye open for the updates!

Pavel Goryakin

Agnitum

Outpost Blonde Edition – new security solution from Agnitum

Computer security experts from Agnitum, the provider of Outpost product line, announce the release of a new solution – Outpost Blonde Edition equipped with a unique scanner of images and text messages.

The new Outpost Blonde Security product employs a pioneering recognition technology which allows to detect and convey your friend's secret thoughts, intentions and general feelings by scanning the addressee's photo.

"Agnitum decided to enhance its target audience and cater to a new segment – young candid girls who rest predominantly unprepared for evolving real and virtual threats. A good deal of modern communication goes online, thus the ever-important risk or false hopes, disguised malevolency and wrong intentions emerges as it's easy to hide one's face and thoughts while being unseen", Agnitum's specialists comment. "Thanks to the new technology Outpost's female users receive a nifty tool to discover what's on HIS mind".

On detecting malicious thoughts Outpost Blonde Edition alerts of critical conversation manner modifications or other potential risks. A nefarious interlocutor may be blacklisted or added to the user-generated "creep" database constantly replenished due to Outpost girls' efforts.

Moreover, the product will help female users reveal those friends who are reluctant to become their neighbours in FarmVille, and proactively ban such renegades.

It's worth noting that Outpost Blonde Edition presents a special product localization. All dialog windows and settings have been meticulously translated from Nerdish into Blondish to make sure the new audience is comfortable with the solution. Outpost BE also features a reference base which enlists all current threats and feasible consequences.

Besides, the new product has undergone a facelift and offers a glamorous GUI in tender pastel shades and pink palette along with an extensive template library. Therefore if the user is in one of her moods she can opt for a respective interface theme rather than rush to the hairdresser's or start a shopaholic spree.

Agnitum's experts forecast high product demand within girls who lead active social life online and use dating services on a frequent basis.

Agnitum Team