VoodooShield protects your PC by only allowing whitelisted programs to run

Martin Brinkmann
Oct 18, 2014
Software
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72

Windows users have plenty of options at their disposal when it comes to protecting their system. Some solutions are recommended to all users, the installation of a good anti-virus solution comes to mind.

Others may be considered optional but they may improve the security in a way that anti-virus software can't. A sandboxing application like Sandboxie enables you to run apps in protected environments so that they cannot manipulate the system.

Anti-exploit software such as EMET or Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit mitigate specific attacks against the computer.

And then there are so-called anti-exe programs. What they do basically is whitelist programs that are allowed to run on the system and block any other program that is not whitelisted.

VoodooShield is such a program for Windows. It is free for personal use and a new version of it has just been released.

You are asked during installation whether you want UAC to be turned off with the program recommending to do so as it may interfere with program functionality if you don't. The choice is up to you however.

The program displays a welcome screen after start that explains its functionality. The program takes a snapshot of the system in that time to allow software that is already on the computer to run without issues.

This means that the system needs to be clean and without malware, as malware would be permitted to run as well if already present on the system.

Once you flip the switch and turn VoodooShield on, it will block all new programs automatically from running on the system. You do get a notification whenever that happens and an option to run that program and make an exception.

This is useful as you don't need to switch between on and off state all the time when you want to run a new program on the PC.

You find three modes listed when you right-click the desktop widget or system tray icon of VoodooShield.

  • Training: VoodooShield is off in that mode and does not protect the computer. It does learn about programs that you run on it though and will remember that choice.
  • Smart Mode: VoodooShield is still off but will protect your computer against programs run from the user space (under /user/username automatically.
  • Always On: The program is on and blocks any program from running that is not whitelisted or in the Windows folder or installed software.

The program displays notifications on the screen whenever executions are blocked so that you can allow it after all.

Another interesting feature is that it will scan any executable that is blocked on Virustotal automatically when you try to allow. It displays information about threats found in that program in a notification with options to block, sandbox (run with limited rights) or allow its execution.

If at least one hit is found, it recommends to block the application from running on the system. You can also run a manual scan of any file by dragging and dropping it on the VoodooShield desktop widget.

Limitations

The free version of the program is limited. It does not provide you with options to change advanced settings, for instance directories that you want blacklisted or whitelisted, or manage the whitelist in any way.

This is a serious problem as you have no control or even access to the whitelist to check whether a program is in it or not. If you accidentally allow malicious software to run in training mode, then it won't be blocked by the application later on when you turn it on.

Closing Words

VoodooSheld is an easy to use program that adds another layer of protection to Windows PCs. It is fundamental though that the PC is clean during installation and first run though and you may find that it lacks options and settings that you want control over. The paid version of the program resolves that and it is available for $19.99 at the company website.

Summary
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Software Name
VoodooShield
Operating System
Windows
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Comments

  1. 1chaoticadult said on March 5, 2024 at 3:49 am
    Reply

    As far as I know it keeps the whitelisted processes and only adds processes if not in the whitelist, which can include child processes.

    It will keep malware whitelisted.

  2. danb said on February 4, 2024 at 1:25 pm
    Reply

    Even my most dedicated long-term Voodooshield\CyberLock users cannot figure out the product. I reference an example here from the support que.

    “BTW, we [me @ Voodooshield support] just received an email from a long time CyberLock user who was having an issue with CyberLock blocking SuRun.exe. The reason CyberLock kept blocking SuRun.exe was because it was automatically listed as a vulnerable process in CyberLock Settings / Advanced tab.

    So if you ever have a process like SuRun that is being blocked by CyberLock, if it is not a vulnerable process, you can uncheck the box in CyberLock Settings / Advanced tab so that it is not considered a vulnerable process, and will no longer be protected by CyberLock.”

    — danb (Voodooshield developer; Malwaretips)

  3. oldschool said on January 30, 2024 at 1:49 am
    Reply

    VS CyberLock causing Edge to indicate managed by organization. VS creates this problem for years.

  4. Azazel said on January 30, 2024 at 1:46 am
    Reply

    Voodooshield blocking vital system resources. There are Lenovo Vantage and Discord false positives blocks on version 7.70. Causing critical application breakages. Yes. Discord app is vital. Absolutely. Vantage app essential to manage power on the fly.

    Microsoft Smart Application Control blocks none of these. So fewer problems than Voodooshield\CyberLock.

  5. oldie1950 said on December 22, 2023 at 4:25 pm
    Reply

    I increasingly have the feeling that CyberLock is developing into a playground for technology freaks. This is no longer for me. I say goodbye to this program.

  6. VecchioScarpone said on December 20, 2023 at 8:33 am
    Reply

    Voodooshield is blocking Microsoft files.

  7. oldschool said on December 20, 2023 at 4:28 am
    Reply

    I’ve emailed the developer twice about it and his replies verged on indifference, “I’ll have to look into it”. Well, it’s been a while now since the first one and ….

  8. oldschool said on December 17, 2023 at 10:46 pm
    Reply

    BTW: VS does not autostart with Smart App Control enabled on machine restart, one reason I don’t use it.

  9. Gandalf_the_Grey said on December 17, 2023 at 7:49 pm
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    First block, when using Internet Explorer Mode in Edge.

    Second block, when opening and Excel file from Outlook.

    That’s not very user friendly, now is it?

  10. Freki123 said on December 16, 2023 at 8:28 pm
    Reply

    OMG the product is so annoying!

    CL seems to not like “The witcher 3” signature, VT says signature is valid. Same “not safe” for both files DX11? and DX12 version:
    c5e8b40ddc8a4d143903362bf0842913b16ecb001683396927056e4345ea56be
    e0b6bf0db15d97d022ba527f6b98e8820a5a12721c4ed2d671d4a7b78e33b840

    Rating them as Unsafe is so uncool and average users that do not know might select block in the alerts which breaks the game. They will not know how to undo what they just did to unblock witcher.

  11. scorpionv said on December 13, 2023 at 8:25 pm
    Reply

    I keep getting a persistent message from davclnt.dll. If I Allow it, it pops up again after a while, if I close it, same thing. Voodooshield Cyberlock keeps blocking it even though I Allow it.

    Alert

    Process path: c:\windows\system32\davclnt.dll
    Process hash: e9ac7feb211474455434cde8b105d5a9d366757da02d01666984f72a3b83752f
    Command line: rundll32.exe c:\windows\system32\davclnt.dll,davsetcookie
    File size: 0.12 MB
    Parent process: svchost.exe
    Parent process path: c:\windows\system32\svchost.exe
    Publisher: Microsoft Corporation
    Digital signature verified: True

    The process is in the Whitelist (5x with different Command Lines), VoodooAi 0, WhitelistCloud Safe.

    I don’t get it why it keeps popping up, waaaay more often than the 5 lines in the Whitelist.

    Much too difficult and annoying.

    Yikes!

  12. Azazel said on December 3, 2023 at 10:01 pm
    Reply

    Breakings my systems! blockings

    c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe /q /d /s /c “c:\windows\system32\nvidia-smi.exe”

    “c:\windows\system32\regsvr32.exe” /s c:\programdata\lenovo\vantage\addins\lenovobatterygaugeaddin\1.0.1.11\x64\lenovobatterygaugepackage.dll

    i cannot know what to allow or block

  13. Digmor Crusher said on November 22, 2023 at 12:51 am
    Reply

    Nope, I posted about an issue I was having with Voodooshield Cyberlock a few months ago in its thread and the developer Dan Butler didn’t reply so I’m not going to bother this time.

  14. Azazel said on November 22, 2023 at 12:48 am
    Reply

    I’ve got false positive command line blocks when installing and uninstalling Adguard and Kaspersky Free.
    Example: “sc” query adgnetworktdidrv

  15. Freki123 said on November 20, 2023 at 3:50 am
    Reply

    If it is unsigned CL labels it as unsafe/suspicious (at least for me) with what feels like 90% of the time.
    Like easy service optimizer which is widely known safe file
    File is years old just unsigned> CL suspicous

    This is terrible usability

  16. simmerskool said on November 18, 2023 at 1:05 am
    Reply

    Voodooshield CyberLock is blocking Windows Defender! It is blocking vital Windows system resources!

    From program log-

    2023-11-16 15:36 Auto Blocked mpcmdrun.exe c:\programdata\microsoft\windows defender\platform\4.18.2303.8-0\mpcmdrun.exe 226FACBDC52C7A6F7E4E140CBA0E2EF4AC5E60DC d710e889bee3b1ddae3c7cb15effa2964a5821c19a437e99553749d3740840eb “c:\programdata\microsoft\windows defender\platform\4.18.2303.8-0\mpcmdrun.exe” -wdenable 1645864 svchost.exe (user name changed *** to protect the innocent)

    This Voodooshield CyberLock auto block was caused by “the chain”.

    Breaking my systems!

  17. lyldz said on November 17, 2023 at 4:25 pm
    Reply

    I think I am very weak in using it.I don’t know what I changed in the application but at the first startup the mouse and keyboard never started.the power comes on and then turns off.I somehow saved the system with a restore.I don’t know what is the reason for this mouse and keyboard failure.what do you think I should turn off.

    when i plug it into different usb ports the result is the same.power comes on and starts and then the power is cut off from the usb.

    voodoo broke my system

  18. gangelo said on November 12, 2023 at 6:33 pm
    Reply

    Advanced users cannot figure out and have to ask developer. Full of bloatware unneeded features.

  19. oldschool said on November 6, 2023 at 11:47 pm
    Reply

    The point is that recent developments take VS way beyond what it once was. Even the latest stable saw unaccounted for command-line blocks. Heaven knows what problems this new Beta/Attack Chain development will bring, beyond the confusion that it already presents to beta users, e.g. users report things like “I don’t understand what this is…”

  20. blueblackwow65 said on November 4, 2023 at 5:32 pm
    Reply

    I cannot activate key .I keep getting “Voodooshield is unable to connect to the internet to confirm your registration””.Rebooted many times .Nothing works. Why is the software so difficult to use?

  21. Azazel said on November 3, 2023 at 5:21 pm
    Reply

    i have repeatedly these blocks from command line, are they false positives?

    i can’t understand the alerts nor the logs. i need the developer to tell me what they mean even though i am an advanced user.

  22. BlackMouse said on October 30, 2023 at 10:03 pm
    Reply

    I feel more clueless than informed about new attack chains feature… it makes no sense. I not know about attack chains so it is of no help. It serves only to confuse. I have to ask developer about block events as I do not know what is false positive block. It blocks Windows processes. How is any user expected to understand the log?

  23. rhythm said on October 29, 2023 at 7:56 pm
    Reply

    CyberLock is a default-deny (DD) setup that is not suitable for average users. Even with whitelisting, trusted vendors, or similar technologies, DD setups affect usability. An advanced user needs to manage the DD setup for average users to use it effectively. Traditional or default-allow vendors disable DD setup or put it in passive mode by default in their software because it affects usability. For instance, HIPS in ESET, Hardened Mode in Avast, Trusted Mode in Kaspersky (replaced with Intrusion Prevention), and HIPS with the default Internet Security configuration in Comodo.

    Average users cannot make decisions correctly and do not respond to alerts well. It is like tossing a coin with 50:50 chance of making the right decision no matter how the alert is designed.

  24. cartaphilus said on August 7, 2023 at 9:01 pm
    Reply

    @danb I added the rules to cmd tab for Harmony AV but it’s not showing up in the list of rules. When I attempt to add again it states that the rule exists. However the cmd line alert still pops up each time Harmony phones home so the rules don’t work.

  25. Victor M said on June 24, 2023 at 10:07 pm
    Reply

    I did a test with the hacker. I installed a fresh Windows 11, installed VoodooShield and while I was registering Voodoo , and Windows Update does it’s preliminary update downloading some drivers as it always does for a new Windows install upon going online. Voodoo poped up a diaglog about a Realtek thing signed and verified. And so I OK’d that dialog. Voodoo said it was safe. Imeadiately the malware RAT interfered with my keyboard, and I wasn’t able to use some keys.

  26. LEWIS HATTON said on May 24, 2023 at 1:25 pm
    Reply

    Who Should Use VoodooShield?

    VoodooShield is not for the faint of heart. This block-by-default approach is great on computers used for basic tasks like web browsing, shopping, and banking; or by those who don’t know a lot about computers as they aren’t going to install software that often. However, the prompts may be confusing for these groups of people.

    They could allow malware when the prompt appears, or unintentionally block a false positive detection and cause a system crash.

    VoodooShield, then, is best used by those who are comfortable setting up their computer and normal antivirus software, as well as more advanced users. Those without good computer literacy should look elsewhere and use a combination of other solutions, like security browser extensions and premium antivirus software.

  27. RoboMan said on November 6, 2022 at 1:04 am
    Reply

    Hi @danb I am still unable to use VoodooShield, hope you can guide me into the right direction.

    This has been happening since forever, I keep hoping a new version will fix it, but I am starting to think it’s more a PC’s problem (my PC) rather than the software. Anyways, VoodooShield delays apps execution A LOT, like, seriously. At first I thought this newest module that makes sure only trusted apps are being ran was the issue, but after a clean reinstall and disabling this feature, I still get execution times that overpass 7 to 10 seconds. Many apps don’t even launch after several clicks, no alerts pop up (I go to start–search the app–click it—nothing happens, start menu is still open like I never clicked).

    I clean reinstalled. I even format my PC several times in the last two years and the problem persists.

    My hardware is Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB, Intel i7 7700HQ, 16GB RAM. I run Windows 10 21H2. All updates are up to date. At the moment I use Norton Antivirus Plus, but this happened as well with several other antivirus software, like BitDefender, Microsoft Defender, WiseVector, etc.

    Any idea?

  28. eXDj said on July 13, 2022 at 11:14 pm
    Reply

    why i cant found setting tutorial (youtube) for voodooshield ?
    for novice or new user with 7.xx
    and when new GUI theme is like old software ?
    or rather what settings do you use?
    voodooshield is difficult to use

  29. omidomi said on July 13, 2022 at 11:05 pm
    Reply

    Voodooshield is blocking Tor (tor.exe)!

  30. Gandalf_the_Grey said on July 13, 2022 at 1:20 pm
    Reply

    VS blocking OneDrive.

    I had a command line block when there was an update of OneDrive included in this Patch Tuesday:

    del /q “c:\program files\microsoft onedrive\update\onedrivesetup.exe”

    OneDrive will not update.

  31. ticklemefeet said on July 13, 2022 at 1:18 pm
    Reply

    Voodooshield blocking vital system resources – Windows Defender.

    c:\programdata\microsoft\windows defender\platform\4.18.2205.7-0\mpcmdrun.exe blocked.

  32. oldschool said on July 13, 2022 at 1:13 pm
    Reply

    Voodooshield creating a user headache.

    V. 7.22 still blocking ConfigureDefender after selecting “Install” option.

  33. gangelo said on June 22, 2022 at 12:13 pm
    Reply

    The free version is discontinued. There goes 99% of the Voodooshield user base.

  34. Antig said on December 24, 2021 at 2:23 pm
    Reply

    I run Voodoshield in my Windows10 laptop and sometimes I have to put it into DISABLE/INSTALL in order to make a download or similar, the problem is that when Vodoo is in such a mode there is a notification coming up every few minutes warning that VodooShield is disabled-as if I didnt know. The fact is annoying as it appears right in the center of the screen obstructing heavily what I might do in that moment, producing some nervousness…
    I like the Shield so : is there a way to disable this warning in the free edition?

  35. League of Antivirus said on November 29, 2021 at 7:42 pm
    Reply
  36. Telos said on November 29, 2021 at 3:30 am
    Reply

    EDIT1: and 2 more blocks… Symenu and SUMo (not portable)
    EDIT2: Wonderfox DVD Video Converter, Wonderfox DVD Video Converter Installer blocked

  37. Telos said on November 29, 2021 at 3:29 am
    Reply

    Just now I get an alert from Conhost. Completely undecipherable what this is doing, but it occurred while Symenu was updating a portable app, so I have to hope that’s why it appeared.

    It makes no sense. Too dificult for me to use.

  38. Gandalf_the_Gray said on November 29, 2021 at 3:28 am
    Reply

    Last block I want to mention is if you are running Ziggo Safe Online (F-Secure Safe) you get a command line block for the Browsing Protection by F-Secure extension in Edge.

    VS is blocking vital system resouorces.

  39. Gandalf_the_Gray said on November 29, 2021 at 3:27 am
    Reply

    Installed this version and did a reset of the whitelist.

    Got two command line blocks.

    Installed an update for Bandixip v7.22 (thanks @silversurfer ) through the internal updater and got a block And 2 Microsoft Teams update blocks.

  40. TheLightofTruth said on March 1, 2019 at 9:36 pm
    Reply

    5 years down the road and the product isn’t that great. It gets a lot of hype and banter from fanbois on a couple of forums but nothing else really. There is no VS user base to speak of at this point. The sales model is to give it away for free. None of the fanbois would use it if they didn’t get a free license because they’re mostly all license leechers. Not one of them is going to plop down $30 for a Pro license. The product just doesn’t sell. So the product is essentially languishing in obscurity and mediocrity.

  41. Its Me ! said on November 18, 2015 at 6:23 pm
    Reply

    Perhaps Its all in the words!. VOODOOSHIELD. VOODOO is black magic, practiced by satan worshipers (satanists), who are evil people who hurt the innocent. Moloch Shall Rise. (the guy of try’s very hard to dismiss voodooshield). MOLOCH is a deity worshiped by satanists… Worked it out yet !…
    Furthermore, Real hacking is via the Microsoft System & users who are not I.T Pro’s, who have OEM installations are at much greater risk as an full OEM installation has everything they need. With this in mind, VoodooShield replaces the MS UAC & this cant be a bad thing, as anything that gets in the way of hackers utilizing MS files/ Accounts/ permissions structures/ WMI/ SVHOSTS and so on, is without doubt a good thing !. Don’t listen to that Moloch Person & his invalid instructions & distractions with his dangerous advise & Install VoodooShield NOW !…

  42. Anonymous said on October 24, 2014 at 12:07 am
    Reply

    “for instance directories that you want blacklisted or whitelisted, or manage the whitelist in any way.”

    the v2.12 FREE version now has it so you can do basic management of the whitelist.

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on October 24, 2014 at 7:13 am
      Reply

      That’s great, thanks for letting us know.

      1. securitystar said on October 3, 2015 at 2:40 am
        Reply

        Voodooshield is nothing special. White-listing. Yeehaa. Appguard is so much more and it really is not that tough to tweak. You pay once for a lifetime security product. Why would I want the free version of VDS? I mean if that’s what your pocket can afford then it’s a nice little free app for users who need hand holding. Also, VDS also adds 20 seconds to my boot time and Appguard zero.

  43. PhoneyVirus said on October 21, 2014 at 9:07 pm
    Reply

    Boo $19.99 I’ll just keep using only Malwarebytes, that’s right I never used a Anti-virus in three years and will continue to do.

  44. Moloch-shall-rise said on October 19, 2014 at 11:26 pm
    Reply

    1) “You say that VoodooShield is potentially too difficult to use, then you recommend other technologies that are much more difficult to use? Very odd.”

    No. I explicitly said it has no target audience. The really inept won’t be able to handle it and the adept have way better solutions at their disposal. I never recommended Sandboxie or AppGuard to someone who I consider not adept enough for VoodooShield.

    2) “Did all of the other products have all of the features that they currently have, when they were on Version 2 of their software?”

    Yes of course. Sandboxie and AppGuard have been restricting behavior of applications from their beginning because this is what they were designed to do and anti execution has always been only a small part of their armory. A lot of more powerful technology is under the hood.

    3) “And then you recommend the swiss cheese of malware protection, better known as User Account Control? Besides the fact that most users are accustomed to clicking yes by default, which is why VoodooShield uses a deny by default method, since it completely eliminates the issue of the user automatically clicking yes by default.”

    Trashing Windows’ internal security mechansims when there are applications making perfect use of it, like the Chromium sandbox.

    4) “I am not sure where you got the idea that VoodooShield recently became compatible with Windows 8.1. I installed Windows 8.1 the day it came out, and have been running beta versions of VoodooShield 2.0 ever since.”

    Yes, BETA versions. Since your program is supposed to be designed for laymen, you recommend beta versions to them, where they had to register in a forum because they were not available on your website? You mean these people who answer every UAC prompt with yes? Sure. NVT ExeRadar Pro has been fully compatible with official stable released much longer. When was the first stable official release of 8.1 compatible VoodooShield and how many months have passed since the official release of Windows 8.1?

    Just in case you are wondering why my tone is so hostile, it is purely because of your marketing. Personally I am already sick and tired of these alternative tools trying to capitalize on the weaknesses of AVs and trashing Windows’ security feautres, whereas they are actually inferior to these already existing solutions. I am no advocate of the AV industry but for laymen they are still the best choice and the good ones already offer much better protection than your anti-executable and are still much more user friendly.

    A good AV will delete downloaded executable files if their reputation is too low and keep them if their reputation is solid, without bothering the user. Signatures will help to remove known malicious files. Behavioral analysis will block executables if they show signs of malicious behavior and protects the user even after execution. Signatures also help to remove threats after the fact. Then there is vulnerability protection and so on and so forth.

    Now these programs are far(!) from perfect and I would feel uncomfortable relying only them. Yet if I want to get more serious about protection there are, as mentioned before, more solid options available, but for laymen a good AV is still the best and the only choice.

    By the way, I still remember when somebody wrote without real effort a POC executable killing your anti-executable easily because of its poor implementation at that time. Now this poor implementation is no longer the case but at that time you were already talking about the weaknesses of AVs whereas your superior anti-executable solution was already being killed by executables. The same attack would not have worked with these “traditional blacklisting AVs” but hey, it’s always ok to trash AVs.

    1. ComputerGuy said on October 20, 2014 at 12:31 am
      Reply

      Where did you explicitly say it has “no target audience”? Do you not know what explicitly means?

      VoodooShield 2.0 beta was compatible with 8.1 the day 8.1 was released. There were bugs in the beta, just like any other beta. You do know what a beta is, right?

      So what you are saying is that every software product should take the exact amount of time to develop, even though it has completely different features?

      So it is your job to tell other people what they should run on their systems? What do you recommend? Test whatever you recommend against VoodooShield, and I bet you VoodooShield ties or wins.

      You do realize that there is a serious virus and malware issue that is getting worse every single day, correct? And the industry is slipping further and further behind . So what you are saying is that no one should try to develop new technologies to help fix the problem? Everyone should just give up and just let the malware have its way with our computers? You did see the Symantec comment above, correct? It would be a different story if the security industry was not losing the battle against malware, but the reality is, they are losing the battle big time.

      You do know that VoodooShield has a free version, right? How is that capitalizing on anything?

      I am not sure what you are talking about, but nothing is bulletproof, but VoodooShield ranks with the best of them as far as this goes.

      Your other comments are not even worth my time to be perfectly honest.

      1. ComputerGuy said on October 20, 2014 at 6:53 pm
        Reply

        Moloch-shall-rise was the first to troll, just read his posts. He trashes VoodooShield all over the internet and spreads his propaganda.

        Why should I tell you who I am? You or Moloch-shall-rise have not posted your identity.

        All you need to know is that I am a big VoodooShield fan and I am tired of his antics. So where ever Moloch-shall-rise trolls I am going to troll.

      2. Jim said on October 20, 2014 at 4:05 pm
        Reply

        Are you the developer or have some other interest in this program? Either way you have commented negatively on every single post in this discussion. That makes you a troll and therefore nothing you have said or will say is of any value.

  45. pd said on October 19, 2014 at 5:26 pm
    Reply

    I find this concept very sensible. Much more so than anti-malware software which is essentially a tax on system resources that users have to pay for the privilege of remaining ignorant of simple proactive security practices.

    Unfortunately it’s payware but hopefully an open source version will arrive if this becomes popular. Innovative software like this seems rare in the open source world but they do tend to copy a proprietary idea if it’s popular enough, eventually!

    Unfortunately Martin you missed your usual helpful warning that this program requires a bloat runtime, in this case .Net 3.5 according to the installer. That and the (reasonable but I’m cheap) cost make it irrelevant for me, alas.

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on October 19, 2014 at 7:43 pm
      Reply

      The free version is not limited in regards to how long it can be used. It is however limited in functionality which is definitely a problem as you don’t have much control over the blocking.

      Sorry for not mentioning the .Net dependency.

      1. ComputerGuy said on October 19, 2014 at 9:17 pm
        Reply

        You obviously did not spend enough time during your little test drive, otherwise you would know that the free version and pro version are the exact same when it comes to blocking. If you are talking about editing the whitelist that is a different story. Should every option be available in the free version? If so, why even have a free version? You do realize that developers have costs associated with bringing a product like this to the market, and they do have to pay rent and buy food, right? Do you work for free? Obviously not, so then why do you expect other people to work for free? It is not like $20 is that much money anyway.

        .net 3.5 is native to Windows 7, and only has to be activated in Windows 8 and 8.1.

      2. Martin Brinkmann said on October 19, 2014 at 11:34 pm
        Reply

        I meant options to manage the whitelist mostly. I’m not suggesting anything, just stating that the lack of that option is the reason why I won’t be using it and maybe for others as well who would give it a try otherwise.

        You interpret too much into this.

    2. ComputerGuy said on October 19, 2014 at 6:33 pm
      Reply

      VoodooShield is free, and .net 3.5 is native to Windows 7, and only has to be activated in Windows 8 and 8.1.

  46. Terry Hollett said on October 19, 2014 at 3:02 pm
    Reply

    The weakest link, like with all security programs, is always the end user. What do you block? What don’t you block? I’ve recently had to fix a number of computers that had a bunch of these optimizer/speed-up programs on them. I’m assuming they are getting pop up ads that say something is wrong with there computer, click here to fix it. Most have UAC enabled so they are clicking on the option to allow to run. If they had this installed they would probably be doing the same thing. What we need is more educated users and less miracle programs that promise to protect you from the evils of the on-line world.

    1. ComputerGuy said on October 19, 2014 at 6:30 pm
      Reply

      Try VoodooShield and you will quickly realize that it fixes the problem you just described here.

  47. Rick said on October 19, 2014 at 4:04 am
    Reply

    Allowing everything in the windows folder to run is a huge cope-out by the programmers. Instead of investing the time and effort to determine what is legit and what isn’t through any means makes, this VooNooShield pretty much useless unless you want to stop your great grandmother from playing Leisure Suit Larry.

    Military Grade Virus Protection – many virus/malware entries sit in the windows directory too. So this claim is hot gas as well.

    1. ComputerGuy said on October 20, 2014 at 2:38 am
      Reply

      Try it, VoodooShield will block it (yes, VS blocks scripts too). Can you please post a script file that can break VoodooShield?

      UAC on the other hand would not block it. UAC lets you run anything from the Windows directory. Try it.

    2. ComputerGuy said on October 19, 2014 at 9:28 am
      Reply

      Please investigate the technology known as “Windows Protected Folder”. Also, please read above.

      Also, isn’t everything legit in the Windows directory, assuming there is no virus on the computer?

      1. Rick said on October 20, 2014 at 1:28 am
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        Already done – took a whooping 5 minutes and no special wisdom.

        A VB program that creates a script file and stores it in the system folder does not trigger. That script file can do anything it wants now. Neither trigger an AV warning.

        UAC is the only thing in between that rogue file and the entire system. So reliance is on UAC, not on VD.

        Anyhow .. enough comment on something that has been tried in the past.

      2. ComputerGuy said on October 19, 2014 at 9:03 pm
        Reply

        How does something get into the windows folder if a script or executable is never allowed to run in the first place? Please provide an example, or better yet find ANYTHING that will bypass VoodooShield. There are a lot of things that bypass UAC.

        Besides, what other technology do you recommend that the vast majority of users can understand and use? I am all ears!

        It is time that we move away from medicine, and move towards a vaccine.

      3. Rick said on October 19, 2014 at 7:22 pm
        Reply

        That the point! If anything gets into the windows folder like malware, even if you started with a clean computer when VooNooShield is installed, you aren’t protected.

        And even with AVs running, this can happen. Symatec has even stated that they are getting out of the AV business (consumer anyhow) as they can’t keep up with the variations.

        So again, what benefit is this app? None.

  48. hessam said on October 19, 2014 at 3:23 am
    Reply
    1. ComputerGuy said on October 19, 2014 at 9:08 pm
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      I just tried it again. So basically I have to allow every site I go to? Is it supposed to block malware, because so far it has let everything in once I create a rule. How should I know if I should create a rule or not when I cannot see the website? What am I missing here?

    2. ComputerGuy said on October 19, 2014 at 9:35 am
      Reply

      I just tried policeman, it seems like it might be a great idea. But there must be a bug because it broke my firefox. Now everything is displayed in plain html, no pictures or anything. I also tried to download some malware just to see what would happen, and it it let it right through. Just a couple of small bugs, but keep working on it, it sounds like a great idea, really!

      1. Martin Brinkmann said on October 19, 2014 at 9:37 am
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        I’m reviewing it currently. I suggest you check out the preferences and there the rules. Maybe something got mixed up.

  49. Kentar said on October 18, 2014 at 10:16 pm
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    Nice idea but poor implementation. Just because something is in the Windows folder it’s allowed to run? That’s just stupid.

    1. ComputerGuy said on October 19, 2014 at 3:22 am
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      What comes first, the chicken or the egg? If malware is never allowed to run in the first place, your machine will never become infected, right? Furthermore, do you prefer medicine over a vaccine?

  50. Hy said on October 18, 2014 at 8:53 pm
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    Looks interesting. Thanks for bringing this to our attention! Emsisoft’s free Online Armor provides similar functionality in a blacklist way, and checks all programs before allowing them to run, but I wouldn’t recommend Online Armor to anyone but advanced users…

  51. Moloch-shall-rise said on October 18, 2014 at 8:51 pm
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    Anti-Executables deserve no consideration in my opinion.

    For one, they are too complicated for the layman, who will either allow malware to run or brick his OS by blocking legitimate operations. Why should an anti-exe be useful to someone who will answer every UAC prompt with yes anyway or has UAC even disabled?

    Adept users on the other hand know their deficiencies too well and have much more sophisticated solutions at their disposal. If you want to be more secure, you’ll need to restrict the behavior of trusted applications as well and not only focus on new untrusted processes. Hence solutions like Sandboxie or BlueRidge AppGuard are a much better choice, as anti-execution is only a small part of their armory.

    If you want to use a good anti-executable, just stick with User Account Control or a limited user account. Combined with the other security features of the OS this is already better than this anti-exe junk and on top of that it’s free.

    By the way, VoodooShield has only just become compatible with Windows 8.1. Considering how much time has passed since 8.1 has been released, it says a lot about the programmer’s abilities.

    1. VoodooShield said on November 5, 2014 at 8:23 pm
      Reply

      There are some people who do not understand VoodooShield and there are some people who do.

      Here is an example of someone who understands VoodooShield:

      http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0%2c2817%2c2470799%2c00.asp

    2. ComputerGuy said on October 19, 2014 at 3:15 am
      Reply

      If you took a moment to try VoodooShield, you would quickly realize that it is extremely user friendly. You are not making any sense at all. You say that VoodooShield is potentially too difficult to use, then you recommend other technologies that are much more difficult to use? Very odd.

      VoodooShield has not been around as long as some of the other products, so did you ever stop to think that new features might be introduced in the near future. You know, like restricting the behavior of trusted applications? Did all of the other products have all of the features that they currently have, when they were on Version 2 of their software?

      And then you recommend the swiss cheese of malware protection, better known as User Account Control? Besides the fact that most users are accustomed to clicking yes by default, which is why VoodooShield uses a deny by default method, since it completely eliminates the issue of the user automatically clicking yes by default.

      I am not sure where you got the idea that VoodooShield recently became compatible with Windows 8.1. I installed Windows 8.1 the day it came out, and have been running beta versions of VoodooShield 2.0 ever since.

      It always cracks me up when people give their opinion on something without trying it first. You must work for a competitor of VoodooShield.

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