Avast web protection privacy?

Discussion in 'other anti-virus software' started by 123blackjack, Oct 25, 2013.

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  1. 123blackjack

    123blackjack Registered Member

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    I wasnt a fan of web protections at all. And all these years i have disabled everything except realtime file system protection. If i enable web protection is my privacy compromised. Are all the url being sent to avast servers. I am talking about web shield not web rep.
     
  2. LagerX

    LagerX Registered Member

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    Web shield is acting like a local proxy, so all web traffic goes thru avast! antivirus which then can scan it.

    It does not send any data to avast! (except maybe some, if you're part of CommunityIQ).
     
  3. 123blackjack

    123blackjack Registered Member

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    I dont wish to trade privacy over security. Also how do you compare avira web protection with avast. Do avira also have protection against malicious scripts and cross site scripting protection like avast does.

    Also in the settings of avast i have seen "check reputation of downloading files option" that will be privacy invading.
     
  4. J_L

    J_L Registered Member

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    Any anti-virus already has access to virtually your entire system, it's basically a matter of trust unless you can block them from uploading anything.
     
  5. aztony

    aztony Registered Member

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    Exactly.
     
  6. Beca

    Beca Registered Member

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    Avast is in bed with Google :eek: and we all know how concerned Google is about your privacy:rolleyes:

    Seriously, I enquired at Avast why my customer's computers needed to connect to Google servers worldwide and got nothing but fishy excuses. Web protection or not, browser open or not doesn't make a difference, you're always connected to something. Only depends on who you trust with your connections.

    You need a good standalone FW to really control what's going on.
     
  7. TheWindBringeth

    TheWindBringeth Registered Member

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    I sadly recall hearing that Avast's user interface was instrumented with Google Analytics. Would you be referring to that type of issue or some other issue directly attributable to Avast software?
     
  8. Beca

    Beca Registered Member

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    ^yes and you can't block those connection via the Avast firewall. Whatever rule you apply it lets it trough anyway.

    We also observed frequent connections to Chinese servers. I was told by Avast that that would have been the closest update server. Ok that can happen once or twice but I live in the UK so I guess there should be closer servers about.

    Also just saw this on the avast forum, http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=138621.0
     
  9. vlk

    vlk AV Expert

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    Regarding Web Shield, all the processing is done locally (i.e. no lookups to the cloud).

    Regarding WebRep (part of the browser extensions), this is in the cloud so the URLs need to be transmitted.

    Regarding other things (such as file scanning), yes, Avast now heavily relies on its cloud to make decisions (and on data collection from its users to see new threats and be able to protect better). But this is pretty standard across the board (in fact, Avast with the huge user base is positioned to be a very strong product especially because it sees so much data).

    The CommunityIQ checkbox determines how much is sent. But even if it's unchecked, some queries still have to be made (otherwise the product's detection capabilities would be reduced).

    The full privacy policy can be accessed here:
    http://www.avast.com/privacy-policy


    BTW Beca, connections to Chinese servers? Closest update server? What? AFAIK Avast currently doesn't have any update servers in China.


    Cheers
    Vlk
     
  10. Beca

    Beca Registered Member

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    That's what I was told by avast support, you know, the one where you have to wait a week or two for a reply. I have a hard time believing that, hence the word 'fishy' in my comment. :D

    Since the OP seems to have lost interest and only a few of my customers still run avast I won't put any more energy in this subject. :D
     
  11. RejZoR

    RejZoR Lurker

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    Then don't use it. No one is forcing you to use anything. I mean, if you think developers are lying to you (Vlk is one of the leading people at avast!), then why do you still insist on it?

    I don't get it why people make so much racket around one product and not around any other where they pretty much all of them use similar security techniques that require cloud based processing. I hope you do realize that if you want an AV that is not working in such a way, you might be stuck with ClamAV. And i wouldn't bet my security on it...
     
  12. TheWindBringeth

    TheWindBringeth Registered Member

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    There have been similar threads/posts/comments pertaining to other cloud anti-malware tools. That AVG 2014 thread, which unfortunately didn't settle down and progress to the point that we discovered what those attempted connections would have been used for, happened earlier in the week. You even posted in that thread.
     
  13. Beca

    Beca Registered Member

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    I certainly didn't make a racket. I'm not the OP.

    I was merely trying to help solving a puzzle which I had previous experience with.

    And along comes you again, defending something that hasn't even been attacked.
     
  14. RejZoR

    RejZoR Lurker

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    No, i'm defending the nature of all antivirus programs in existance today that keep on getting bombarded with some conspiracy theory nonsense.

    No one is running some hidden agenda, because as soon as someone would find out (and someone sooner or later would), that would mean the end of their existance, because they'd lose all the trust they've made in 2 decades...
     
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