Online Armor 5.1 Public Beta

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jamescv7

Level 85
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Verified
Honorary Member
Mar 15, 2011
13,070
Hi guys,

We want to invite you to join the Online Armor 5.1 public beta test! You can find the Online Armor 5.1 setup here:

http://tmp.emsisoft.com/oa/trunk/5.1.0.1285/OnlineArmorSetup.exe

Happy testing! :)


What is new in Online Armor 5.1?

Greatly increased compatibility and stability with other applications
We focused on improving the compatibility and stability of Online Armor in conjunction with products like Google Chrome, Sandboxie, Panda Cloud AV and others.

Overhauled white list settings
We changed the white list settings slightly. In addition it is now possible to optionally trust all digitally signed files that were signed using a certificate that hasn't been used in connection with fraudulent or malicious activities in the past.

New upload feature
You are not sure about a certain program? You can now easily upload it to the Emsisoft Anti-Malware Network and get the file scanned using Emsisoft Anti-Malware.

More than 100 other bug fixes
More than 100 reported bugs and issues in Online Armor 5.0 are fixed in 5.1. Those fixes include for example a recently reported vulnerability with Sinowal drive-by downloads, freezes during the SCW, freezes when executing applications from network shares, various Online Armor GUI freezes, cases where Online Armor forgot about certain application rules as well as many others.



How do I install Online Armor 5.1?

Just download and execute the setup linked above. If Online Armor was already installed and you don't want to lose your settings make sure to choose an "Upgrade" installation. We recommend that all Online Armor Premium and Online Armor ++ users disable automatic program updates during the beta test period and perform updates manually instead. This way you have more control over whether or not you want to switch to future test versions and won't be updated automatically. Please be aware that not all translations have been updated yet as well.


We want your feedback!

Have you started or found a thread about Online Armor 5.1 in a different forum? Do you like or dislike a specific planned change? Do you have questions about one of the changes or do you encounter a problem you need help with? Don't keep them to yourself. Share them with us! Either by simply replying here or via mail.

Link
 

NathanF1

Level 2
Verified
Jul 9, 2011
597
Given the grief OA caused me recently when I upgraded to BD 2012, I'll definitely try this. Especially interested in the improved compatibility and "cases where Online Armor forgot about certain application rules" [I'm pretty sure this was the reason I had issues upgrading BD, what made it even worse was the fact I wasn't getting any prompts as well].
 

darkelixa

New Member
Jul 3, 2011
358
Only issue I had with Bitdefender was it was blocking Crysis 2 for updating for no reason at all.
 

NathanF1

Level 2
Verified
Jul 9, 2011
597
Generally I don't remember when was the last time I had a beef with OA [apart from the fact I had to drop it off a config because it was exhibiting the long delays on system startup], but exactly when I needed it to be a trusted sidekick it decided to behave erratically. No hard feelings, though, :), still my preferred firewall.
 

darkelixa

New Member
Jul 3, 2011
358
The new whitelist option looks good, its a bit stupid having to click allow 100 times to install a trusted driver
 

NathanF1

Level 2
Verified
Jul 9, 2011
597
darkelixa said:
The new whitelist option looks good, its a bit stupid having to click allow 100 times to install a trusted driver

As much as I like the "Installer" checkbox on the OA prompts, and as good as it is in presenting you with details about the parent processes, etc., the many .tmp installer files of BD 2012 drove me up the wall - OA would ask for each of them, so I switched to learning mode [never done it before, and looking at the results never will again]. The install went OK, but BD service wouldn't start on next boot. Fixed the problem by exiting learning mode and repairing the installation, this time incessantly allowing file after file [at least 21 or 22 of them, 4 clicks for each - to remember the decision, to trust the file, to specify it's an installer and to click OK].

Hopefully they'll improve this even more, I must say OA and Comodo do give pretty good prompts [Agnitum have just taken a leaf out of their book with the improved prompts of their 7.5.x products], but are maybe in the opposite ends of the whitelisting practice - not near enough entries for OA, probably a few undesired in Comodo.

Downloading the BETA build right now :)
 

jamescv7

Level 85
Thread author
Verified
Honorary Member
Mar 15, 2011
13,070
+1 for having their new feature of uploading a file through Emsisoft Anti Malware to determine if its malicious. Since popups from OA have times cannot tell if its safe or malicious.
 
D

Deleted member 178

Running smoothly here, installed it since the release. still have the EAM action center bug.
 

NathanF1

Level 2
Verified
Jul 9, 2011
597
I couldn't help myself and installed it on a production PC :)
Running smooth and fast. Getting prompted for some already trusted apps, but it's OK. My boot time [loading the desktop specifically] has gone down, ran a Safety Check Wizard and it seemed really quick.
Quick question, has anyone used the "Enable multi desktop support" option [Options / General tab] much?
 

NathanF1

Level 2
Verified
Jul 9, 2011
597
Decided to "live dangerously" [it's easy when stable configuration is just an image restore away :)], and to use the BETA on another production system.

Uninstalled OAP 5.0, upgraded BD 2012 to the latest build [15.0.27.319] and then installed OAP 5.1 BETA.

All went smooth, Safety Check Wizard, though extremely thorough, went pretty fast. Another interesting point was the fact that the only programs it asked me about were "Adobe Help" and "SnagIt". Seems that the changes to the whitelists are working and improving the usability by a fair margin.

Also, the new options added in Programs/Options do seem to have tamed the popup onslaught further, complementing OA auto-configuring the trusted applications [if you're so inclined].
Still getting asked more than once for some applications [Active@ Hard Disk Montor's service starting batch file, for example], but that's just nitpicking.

Boot time has definitely improved too, for me at least.

Good one, Emsisoft :D
 

NathanF1

Level 2
Verified
Jul 9, 2011
597
Along with the improvements and the bug fixes, tidying up the interface a bit would be beneficial too, I guess. There are a few instances of different fonts and up to 3 different font sizes used on the same screen, and it would be nice if the push buttons get the "Emsisoft" treatment - they do seem oddly outdated and out of place. I can't wait to see EAM Security Status style buttons [I personally like them, garishly blue as they may seem to some], it will bring the interface even more in-line with the other Emsisoft products and make the GUI look more professional.
 

NathanF1

Level 2
Verified
Jul 9, 2011
597
A week later and OA 5.1 is going really well. Both the GUI and popups exhibit faster interaction [both being displayed and reacting to user actions]. Had a few unexpected popups when installing VMWare Player - asked for a few EXE files, although the installer was recognized as trusted, so obviously the whitelist would have to keep growing.
I don't think I've seen the "trusted program has changed"-type prompts, although I had a few updated files. Has anyone experienced similar?

The upload features works fine, but maybe they could have implemented the ability to upload more than 1 file at the time, I think this would be handier that having to deal with the "unknown" files one by one.

The only issue I've experienced so far would be oasrv.exe hitting 50-70% CPU for prolonged periods of time all of a sudden, happened 3-4 times, I'll pay more attention as to what may be causing it.
 
D

Deleted member 178

my trial is expired so cant use it anymore, and my giveaway license will come next month at least...but i dont remember to have this cpu issue.
 

NathanF1

Level 2
Verified
Jul 9, 2011
597
umbrapolaris said:
my trial is expired so cant use it anymore, and my giveaway license will come next month at least...but i dont remember to have this cpu issue.

Waiting on the Geekiest giveaway? I'm in the same boat, expecting a license too.
And waiting for the MalwareTips OA++ giveaway ;)
 
D

Deleted member 178

sandboxie is badly supported with OA, you will not have the Web Shield protection. and FF aero will be disabled.
 
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