Avast! Antivirus / Internet Security Discussion

This thread is dedicated towards all Avast! products discussion, troubleshooting, etc.

 

@Ethrem @downloads

Thought you might like this:

CyberCapture: Protection against zero-second attacks

 

I received an update to this Nitro but I am not clear on how it works exactly, except for the fact that it has a cloud component which makes me dislike it instantly. I assume it won't even ask about submitting such file to cloud analysis.

Other than that it sounds suspiciously like heuristics only not local ones. If I'm mistaken and there is much more to this - feel free to correct me. I admit I haven't been very thorough with my analysis of this feature because it's 90*F in my apartment right now, and my brain has no active cooling so thermal throttling kicks in and I get even dumber than usual.
Beer is in the freezer so I will get liquid cooling in a while but not yet.

I wish I was in Canada... (sorry for OT)

Anyway - I guess we will see how/if this component improves detection rates in AV Comparatives zero-day tests,

 

well let me do the research for you

After reading that article, this sounds exactly like Webfroot SecureAnywhere which is a cloud based AV and has very low system footprint. The problem with Webfroot is their false positives are beyond abnormal spoiling the whole experience, I had to whitelist this and whitelist that on a constant basis that I finally gave up on that product.

I will be testing this as it sounds interesting to me.

Just took a system image before installing any AV and will test it, if I don't like it I'll simply roll back but I am hoping that in the next AV-Comparatives test Avast! will get an even lower system footprint with this new technology

 

Here is the option to disable this community scanning:



Also, make sure to disable this to not get in app updates for other Avast products (cannot be de-activated on the free version though)




Finally, it is vital that you disable the data sharing feature to stop data collection (enabled by default):

 

Avast acquires antivirus maker AVG for $1.3BN

 

Great thread and info...seeing as I'm an Avast crony now. IMO, the merger is a good move by Avast and AVG. Smart forward-thinking move that hopefully only yields positives for the end-user. However, I share the same initial reservations about CyberCapture as @downloads . I only just noticed it was enabled. I'll leave it as so and observe for now since it doesn't strike me as particularly shady (ex. M$haft Windoze10). @Phoenix, after a few weeks of testing what do you now think of CyberCapture's functionality?

 

You don't know it's there, everything works as it did before

 

I see. Guess the fact that I didn't notice it was enabled or even existed before I read this thread also supports this. Alright, thanks.

 

That stupid 15 second scan dialogue pops up almost every time i try and uninstall apps, it says it only take 15 seconds but 5min later it is still scanning, how do i turn this off, I tried disabling avast shield contol for 5 min so i could uninstall the app but the 15min dialogue box still pops up.

Thanks

John.

 

i wonder if it's worth paying for the internet security edition?

 

It`s really only adds a firewall, but it`s handy sometimes when you want to block an app.

John.

 

It's wort paying for Avast Premier for its Scan for outdated software feature. It auto-updates (or just informs you that there is an update - your choice) for quite a lot of applications from WinRAR, through Skype, FF, Flash, IE and so on. It's kind of handy considering how many programs want some auto-update service running - with this you don't have to allow them to do so.

Also it updates applications in silent mode, so basically you click "update" when it asks you and that's it, no installer no questions and so on. I know it doesn't sound like much but it's a really nice feature.

 

oh great, so they are buying out AVG. i used to use them but about 3 years ago they got so much bloatware i gave up with them. been with avast paid for ever since. think ive had 4 false positives in the last 3 years.

thanks for them tips in your previous posts Phoenix. i didnt even know they existed lol.

 

I made an interesting discovery - AVAST writes and stores all download URLs a file URL.db

This is what it's apparently for:

Source: https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=81400.msg665786#msg665786

Mine is 214MB and had been created on the day I last reinstalled Windows and it has been last edited a minute ago.
Is that not a brilliant privacy feature? Oh wait, it isn't


It has nothing to do with participation in AVAST community or data sharing, as I take no part in either of those and judging by the post on AVAST forum I linked to above, the file will be recreated even if you delete it.

You might delete your browser history, use TorBrowser, hell even use a VPN but all of URLs you have ever downloaded anything from since the day you've installed AVAST will be stored there.
I would like to meet a person who thought it was a good idea...

 

that's horrible man. I personally hate AVs that have an HTTP scanner. I think you can only install the file shield as a custom install during setup. If you download a virus, the file scanner would pick it up locally anyway

 

I looked into this file and it turns out I have misunderstood what the mean by "download". I thought they meant it in narrow sense as in when you click on a file and it literally downloads and is either saved or opened. It turns out they meant it in a general sense as in every single website you open means you're downloading files - I found everything on that list from my brokers account , through various NBR threads to newspaper articles I've read.

This is literally the most comprehensive dossier you could ever dream of completing on me...

 

well that's not very good now is it!

 

time to update again as renewel is looming.

gone up £10 this year so now £49.99 / $61.88 for a years cover.

yay or nay. decissions decissions.

is it still true that if you cancel auto update they then send you a discount code before renewell is due as they dont want to lose you as a customer.

 

I suggest you switch to ESET NOD32 Antivirus

In my experience testing all AVs, it is the only AV with 0 false positives, very low system impact, has a great HTTP scanner to block bad connections / malicious downloads and doesn't mess up one's OS

It also has the best PUP blocker that blocks PUP installations from many freeware

See how low its performance impact is (the lower, the better): http://chart.av-comparatives.org/chart1.php?chart=chart4&year=2016&month=10&sort=1

you can install the demo to try it, it is a 30 day demo with 0 nags to buy a license until you want to

 

thanks mate for the quick reply.
ive been thinking about Eset for a while but never got round to it.
will give the trial a go.
thank you.

 

Avast v17.1.2286

What's new:

- Improved user interface - simplified navigation, new brand colors, notification center

- Behavior Shield - better protects you against ransomware by monitoring running programs for suspicious behavior

- Game mode - helps reduce distractions and lag times by automatically prioritizing your game’s performance and suspending all unnecessary background notifications and processes while you play

- Free version no longer requires email registration

- Performance improvements - faster webpage loading and app launching thanks to optimized hashing algorithms

- Wi-Fi Inspector - previously called Home Network Security, this feature now detects even more problems and vulnerabilities on both home and public networks

- Passwords - faster UI and improved browser integration

- Real Site - our new name for SecureDNS, which prevents DNS hijacking to help you avoid visiting fake websites

- SafeZone browser - common settings for all modes, faster startup of bank mode, currency converter


How to install:

1. Update from your existing Avast version via Settings -> Update -> Update program

2. Or you can download and install from here

Online installers (recommended):

http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_free_antivirus_setup.exe

http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_pro_antivirus_setup.exe

http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_internet_security_setup.exe

http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_premier_antivirus_setup.exe

Offline installers:

http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_free_antivirus_setup_offline.exe

http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_pro_antivirus_setup_offline.exe

http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_internet_security_setup_offline.exe

http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_premier_antivirus_setup_offline.exe

We hope you enjoy the new version!
AVAST Team

 

The "updated" Avast interface is slow and badly designed but I could live with it, if it wasn't for a new issue with the firewall that the most recent update introduced.
Some websites or IPs were silently blocked for no apparent reason with no trace in log file.
For example NBR would work fine and in another tab something like yahoo would not. Outlook could receive e-mails from all accounts other than yahoo accounts (yahoo is just an example by the way).

This would happen to different servers on different occasions and there was no clue in the firewall log as to why that was happening however disabling firewall even for a second and then enabling it again would fix the issue, so it's definitely Avast.

I tested AVG suite which is basically Avast in drag and it did not have this issue - even though it should be basically the same suite with a different UI.
Either way since it kept happening several times a day I ditched Avast in spite of the fact that I still have a valid license.

 

That's odd I just ditched BitDefender for the same reason, back to Comodo Internet Security Premium 10... same odd blocking of some sites - would just time out - seemed like DNS related.

No such problem from Comodo after a few days of use.

 

I usually never buy suites, AVs only. Never had good luck with those security suites and their firewalls, they cause more headaches than I'd like to have