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WATCHDOG ANTI-MALWARE HOME 4 REVIEW!!!
#1
Exclamation 
[Image: VtFCSQM.gif]
 
[Image: PUtdSCx.jpg]

1.- OVERVIEW OF WATCHDOG ANTI-MALWARE HOME AND RESOURCES

WatchDog Anti-Malware 4 is a recently new developed product. It aims to be an additional layer of protection of our main security solution in the system.

These are some features of new WAM 4:
 
  • Multi-engine anti-malware software helps keep your computer secure
  • Advanced Malware Detection and Removal
  • Browser Hijacker Removal
  • Effective Rootkit and Bootkit Detection and Removal
  • Real Time Protection
  • Anti Ransomware Protection Modules
Here you are some resource links about WAM:

Watchdog Anti-Malware Product Page
Watchdog Anti-Malware Release Notes
Watchdog Anti-Malware Support
Download Watchdog Anti-Malware
WatchDogDevelopment.com, LLC., Blog
How to Activate Watchdog Anti-Malware
Watchdog Anti-Malware Support: support@watchdog.dev



2.- INSTALLATION

I’m using a virtual machine running inside VMWare Workstation, with W10 Pro x64 21H2, fully updated/patched.

You can download the installer from official site

These are the WAM system requirements:
  • Windows 8, 8.1, 10 and 11
  • About 50 MB disk space
  • About 40 MB memory
  • Active Internet connection
The installation process was extremely fast and easy:
 
[Image: xWrWLYQ.gif]

During the installation, We can customize some tasks:
 
 
[Image: NXjgvpO.png]
 
Just installed, our default browser is triggered to show WatchDog official site:

[Image: dC44yJz.png]

And an icon was placed in our Desktop:
 
[Image: 5aXFGg8.png]


3.- JUST INSTALLED -> GOT UPGRADE TO NEW VERSION!

In my 1st execution of the product, I was warned that a new version of the product was available:
 
[Image: 0r6Tqtz.png]

Double-clicking over the warning will lead You to the upgrading window:
 
[Image: YnzBRQN.png]

The next step is to click over green button [Update Now] and You are done:
 
[Image: 75xlVS6.png]

 
[Image: BHhLcO7.png]


4.- ACTIVATION

The product gives a Free Trial of 15 days to test it.

Being in the main window of the product, clicking over [Licence] button, we can activate the product typing the licence code (4 groups of 4 numbers):
 
[Image: HyJgaqS.gif]

Again, our default browser is triggered to show WAM official site to Buy Now a new licence.

I saw here a small glitch: even after typing our code and finished the process of activation, the product still shows in the main window the warning of trial period, asking to purchase a licence code, however [Licence] button shows the correct Premium 365 days left. This warning can be easily closed via the X control on the right.


5.- 1st SCAN

Just installed, WAM is requesting a 1st system scan, so just clicking over [Scan Now] button, the product will perform the scan and once finished will show the result, this time System Clean Smile :
 
[Image: 8MqKFou.gif]


6.- TOUR AROUND THE GUI:

In this chapter, We will start a trip around all the elements / options in the main GUI of WAM:
  • Home & Settings
  • Scan Now (+ On demand Scan via contextual Windows menu)
  • Choose a folder to scan
  • License
  • Real-time Protection
  • Exclusion List
  • Last Scan
  • Quarantine
  • Support
  • Windows Taskbar Icon contextual Options

Home & Settings icons.

On top left on the main window product there are 2 icons:
 
[Image: qQ50rTu.png]

The 1st one (home icon) will take back us to the main window.

The 2nd one (gearwheel) will take use to the product Settings window.


[Scan Now] button.

Already addressed previously in point 5.- 1st Scan.


Choose a folder to scan.

This feature allows us to select a specific folder to perform a scan:
 
[Image: mnbEqaJ.gif]

We can also scan files and/or folders from the Windows context menu, selecting the object to scan with the right mouse button (in the example -> right mouse button over C:\Windows folder):
 
[Image: MwBcEyq.png]
 
[Image: jpdTV7v.png]


Licence.

All the information related to our licence subscription of the product: Status, Remaining Days, Activation and Expiration days, Type and options to Activate and Renew:
 
[Image: SMu7Mzu.png]


Real-time Protection.

Allows us to disable or re-enable the real-time protection:
 
[Image: BGmZ3cG.gif]

I’ve found here a “glitch”: if We disable the real-time protection, there will be no warning message and/or colour change in main window and/or taskbar product icon.


Exclusion List.

Here We can Add, Delete or Select All the Exclusions to files that We don’t want them to be scanned:
 
[Image: IFUohGC.gif]


Last Scan.

This button shows when was performed the last Scan, but clicking over it We can access (Open Report, Delete or Select All) to the log of all the previous analysis (Reports) performed to date.
 
[Image: AK8jgYG.gif]


Quarantine.

All quarantined objects are stored here. We can Restore, Delete, Report as Safe or Select All:
 
[Image: wCqgxBc.gif]


Support.

To contact the Watchdog Support, there is a clear and easy form. We can attach a file that WAM has problems with and even the last scan report:
 
[Image: CViKBLQ.png]


Windows Taskbar Icon contextual Options.

There are 3 options here:
 
[Image: h51XoBZ.png]

The 1st one opens WAM main window in the foreground, the 2nd one shows general About info (version, official site link and a small overview of how cloud multi-engine protection tech product works):
 
[Image: uNdWhRH.png]

The 3rd option allows exiting the product:
 
[Image: xHssySC.png]


7.- SETTINGS:

Now we are going to surf around the Settings options. To access them, there is the gearwheel icon on top left in the main windows of WAM.


General.

Some options related to general behaviour of the product can be change here, such as: Display Language, Light or Dark Theme, enable/ disable Auto Launch of the product at Windows system start, enable / disable Display Notification Area Messages in the Windows system tray of the taskbar and enable/disable Display WAM Promotional Messages:
 
[Image: 5wcFe68.gif]


Scan.

Here We can customize the behaviour actions of our scans with WAM: Default Scan Action (Quarantine / Delete), enable / disable Auto Upload unknown objects to the Scan Cloud to be analysed and enable / disable Scan at Startup at Windows system startup:
 
[Image: gcF8zng.gif]


Update.

We already dealt with this option in point 3.- JUST INSTALLED -> GOT UPGRADE TO NEW VERSION!

This window shows us the Status of the product, when was the Last Update, Current Version number and if there is a new Last Version (in this case clicking over [Update] green button will install the new version):
 
[Image: YnzBRQN.png]


About.

This option was discussed also in the review when We talked about Windows Taskbar Icon contextual Options.

About info version, official site link and a small overview of how cloud multi-engine protection tech product works are some items showing here:
 
[Image: uNdWhRH.png]


8.- HARMFUL OBJECTS DETECTED!

When WAM finds malicious objects, there are some actions We can apply:
 
[Image: QC6g44g.png]

We can Delete, Exclude, Apply to all (Quarantine or Delete), Report as Safe and More (Open File Location or Copy Details):
 
[Image: 7Jrq6WZ.png]
 
[Image: ks6aLkt.png]

At this point, if We decide finally not to apply actions against those malicious objects (go back), then will get an “Action Required” red warning in WAM main window:
 
[Image: Kswv7NQ.png]
 
[Image: WSom6zv.png]


9.- SUGGESTIONS / TO IMPROVE AND FINAL WORDS

Here are some suggestions and tips that personally would be interesting to implement / fix in the product:
  • After installation -> trial warning message still showing.
  • Disabling Real-time Protection -> no warning message and / or colour change in GUI and / or in Windows taskbar icon.
  • Exclusion list -> only files, no full folders allowed.
  • Prone to false positives. Tends to flag as suspicious legit add-ons inside browsers or even legit DNS set in Windows network settings.
  • Just finished a Scan, and some malicious objects detected: if We discard / go back without applying actions, then get an “Action Required” warning in main WAM window, but clicking over it does not take us to apply actions over the detected objects, and have to perform a new Scan System.
  • Make Scan Report window resizeable when showing detections.
  • High-priced, to be a complement tool of full security products.
Final words: probably an unfinished product, without many pretensions? Will have to evolve and improve a lot in detection if They want to have a chance against other competing products.
[-] The following 1 user says Thank You to harlan4096 for this post:
  • THE RANTER
Reply
#2
Bug 
SOME QUICK MALWARE TESTS WITH WAM 4

For the On Demand Scan I collected around 19 malware from a well known site (27/06/2022). All the samples were checked with 2 security applications that detected them all.

[Image: F02SbJW.png]

I performed 3 On Demand Scans:

* 06/07/2022 -> with the detection result of 0 / 19:

[Image: 0WuArhT.png]

[Image: kleYEYk.png]


* 08/07/2022 -> with the detection result of 2 / 19:

[Image: 7WPE7uA.png]

[Image: mle17II.png]

[Image: ovePFNc.png]

[Image: ygaJAl0.png]


* 09/07/2022 with the detection result of 0 / 17:

[Image: ELRdM44.png]

[Image: UUQS7PV.png]

For the Dynamic test, I selected 7 samples of the undetected 17 remained samples, and executed manually one by one. I recorded a video, and You can watch it online (streaming) or download it offline with Your favourite media player. The result of the Dynamic Test was -> 4 / 7, System Infected:

Dynamic Malware Tests with WAM 4 (Video)
[-] The following 3 users say Thank You to harlan4096 for this post:
  • jasonX, kubik67, THE RANTER
Reply
#3
Thanks very much for this test mate! This will help the developers to make their product better!
[-] The following 1 user says Thank You to jasonX for this post:
  • harlan4096
Reply
#4
You are welcome Smile
[-] The following 1 user says Thank You to harlan4096 for this post:
  • jasonX
Reply


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