ESET has poured praise onto Windows 8's security features, with Microsoft said to be taking a better approach with the upcoming operating system than its predecessors in regards to anti-malware protection.
A researcher for the anti-virus company, Aryeh Goretsky, mentioned the integration of ELAM (Early Launch Anti-Malware) into the OS. ELAM ensures the first software driver that loads into Windows 8 will be the driver of a user's anti-malware software.
Earlier Windows versions would initiate a random process when loading driver software, which could possibly lead to malware launching first on a user's system and then disabling a machine's security.
"While the effectiveness of ELAM is as yet unproven, the concept behind it is fundamentally sound and it should prove to be a major deterrence to boot-time malware," Goretsky said. "The technology, however, may need to be periodically updated to overcome existing limitations and provide additional functionality."
"It has no ability to remove malware. ELAM is strictly a detection technology at this point," he warned. The feature must run alongside additional security software such as Microsoft's Windows Defender, which is pre-installed on Windows 8.
In addition to ELAM, Windows 8 also contains UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface). The security component requires digitally signed firmware to be utilized during boot-up so it can prevent rootkits.
Windows 8 officially launches on October 26.
