Tech moves fast! Stay ahead of the curve with Techopedia!
Join nearly 200,000 subscribers who receive actionable tech insights from Techopedia.
Early Launch Anti-Malware (ELAM)
Last Updated: April 15, 2013
Definition - What does Early Launch Anti-Malware (ELAM) mean?
Early Launch Anti-Malware (ELAM) is a Windows 8 security technology that evaluates non-Microsoft Windows boot time device/application drivers for malicious code. It is the first system kernel driver that starts in Windows 8 operating mode, before any third party software or driver.
Techopedia explains Early Launch Anti-Malware (ELAM)
As a component of Secure Boot - also introduced in Windows 8 - ELAM is a detection driver used to identify malware, root kits or other malicious code/drivers initiated at system startup. When a system starts, ELAM scans all third-party apps/drivers and sends the system kernel a report that includes all of the device/software drivers, which are classified as one of the following four groups: good, bad, bad but boot critical and unknown. All drivers are loaded in Windows 8 by default, with the exception of bad drivers.
ELAM technology also may be used with third-party anti-malware and security software.
