Avira

Discussion in 'other anti-virus software' started by JerryM, Apr 16, 2013.

  1. ankupan

    ankupan Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 4, 2004
    Posts:
    516
    Looks promising, someone is listening to user voice too.

     
  2. zedi

    zedi Registered Member

    Joined:
    Sep 5, 2016
    Posts:
    21
    Location:
    None
    Greetings Arthur,

    Thank you for your note. I spent much of the weekend investigating exactly what unwanted software Avira installed and hopefully removed all of it. Please note that simply uninstalling the apps via the control panel did not completely remove the unwanted software. For example, PhantomTAP VPN drivers were installed without warning or consent, and using control panel did not delete them.

    My solution to that problem was to temporarily login as admin, drop into powershell, and use the sc.exe command with the 'delete' option to remove references to that driver. After that, I wiped the actual driver file from windows\system32\drivers. I haven't checked to see if it infiltrated DriverStore; I still need to look into that possibility.

    Overall, Avira really caused a mess and created a lot of frustration and disappointment. I have lost many hours of my time dealing with the mess. All the same, I sincerely appreciate you taking your time to post a message on these forums acknowledging the problem and apologizing for it.

    Currently, I have all Avira processes blocked from accessing the internet, due to concerns that they may reinstall some or all the unwanted software again. What actions do we all need to take to ensure this will not happen? Do any files need to be deleted, registry keys modified, or files edited? I noticed that an executable called 'avirasecuritycenteragentwin7.exe' is now attempting to transmit data. Does that file need to be deleted? Why is it suddenly trying to transmit data?

    Several concerns remain. One of the biggest ones is that Avira has a documented history of installing unwanted software on people's computers without any consent. Perhaps we can work together to prevent this from ever occurring again. At the least, it will require the adoption of an official publically-available corporate policy from Avira committing to never installing any software (including plug-ins, addons, extensions, etc.) without clear public documentation and obvious user consent.

    Furthermore, if you have the time, please take a look at my posts from the last 2 weeks. Included in those posts are observations and questions for which I would appreciate your feedback and answers.

    I look forward to your responses.

    My regards,
    Zedi
     
  3. anon

    anon Registered Member

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2012
    Posts:
    7,982
    #5616 ^^^ @LocoSec ,
    Any comments?
     
  4. Hiltihome

    Hiltihome Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2013
    Posts:
    1,131
    Location:
    Baden Germany
    Why beat dead horses over and over again?
    On my costumer machines i uninstall AVIRA, AVG and Avast, whether Payed, or free versions.
    In case windows is still booting normally...
     
  5. imdb

    imdb Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 2, 2011
    Posts:
    4,208
    not a single one of them ever asked you why you uninstalled their licensed av sw?
     
  6. Hiltihome

    Hiltihome Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2013
    Posts:
    1,131
    Location:
    Baden Germany
    Almost all accepted my argumentation.
     
  7. ankupan

    ankupan Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 4, 2004
    Posts:
    516
    Hi,

    I have Avira Prime.

    I installed it on a few machines, it is light on old machines and users are happy for it.

    But there is one problem.

    Avira Panel has My License option and under it, everyone can see, it is installed on how many machines and what are their names.

    Only admin should know about this and my.avira.com only.

    Why Avira Panel is showing all user details in each installation.

    Not happy with this feature.

    (Using Sophos too, but only admin can see, it is installed on which machines through their web admin panel).

     
  8. anon

    anon Registered Member

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2012
    Posts:
    7,982
  9. gery

    gery Registered Member

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    Posts:
    2,175
    avira is going avast way with all the bloatware and their wrong policies . hopefully someone will come to their senses sometimes soon before it will be too late ( if it is not already)
     
  10. Brocke

    Brocke Registered Member

    Joined:
    Mar 16, 2008
    Posts:
    2,306
    Location:
    USA,IA
    I miss the old avira where the GUI was clean and nice. I hate this product now. They need to clean it up and not bloat it up like avast and avg.
     
  11. Triple Helix

    Triple Helix Specialist

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2004
    Posts:
    13,269
    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    Agreed!
     
  12. Rasheed187

    Rasheed187 Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2004
    Posts:
    17,546
    Location:
    The Netherlands
    I stopped using Avira back in 2008, after that it went downhill and it seems they have now completely ruined it, so I can't even recommend it to friends and family anymore.
     
  13. Osaban

    Osaban Registered Member

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2005
    Posts:
    5,614
    Location:
    Milan and Seoul
    It works fine here, that is Avira Pro on one machine (on the other I have Kaspersky I.S.), cheaper than others on a three year subscription, light as a feather at least on my machine, and one of the best when tested for malware detection and false positives by antivirus testing labs. So gentlemen, what gives? Now I have no idea about the free version of Avira, but if I were to use it I would definitely switch to Windows Defender...
     
  14. anon

    anon Registered Member

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2012
    Posts:
    7,982
    Everybody knows that AVs was born by the necessity.
    Once upon a time, there was no MS AV and the area was wide open for the AV companies. Thereafter in 2006 the MS Windows Defender was born but it was a joke.

    Nowadays, the MS Windows Defender is equal and maybe even better from the rest.
    So in protection area, the days for the AV companies are limited and instead of been revolutionary once again, the most of them are selling snake oils and they think that will survive with it.

    Few years ago, one Firewall and one AV (free or paid) from the market was a must.
    Who is using firewalls nowadays? Who will use snake oils tomorrow?
    Time will tell.
     
  15. drhu22

    drhu22 Registered Member

    Joined:
    Aug 21, 2010
    Posts:
    585
    Same here... maybe if we all agree in unison, as loudly as we can, someone over there will hear us.
     
  16. B-boy/StyLe/

    B-boy/StyLe/ Registered Member

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2012
    Posts:
    511
    Location:
    Bulgaria
    Same here. I stopped using it when they deleted their forum and switching to a new platform (which was a major downgrade in my opinion). I was tired from their prescan feature as well. Their definitions and heuristics are top notch but Avira (at least the free version) needs stronger zero-day protection or to be combined with other product to fill the gap. I hope we will see them back on the right track someday.
     
  17. anon

    anon Registered Member

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2012
    Posts:
    7,982
    Avira Antivirus for Windows, Version 15.0.2002.1755 released on Feb 18, 2020.

    https://install.avira-update.com/package/antivirus/win/en-us/avira_antivirus_en-us.exe

    Changelog:
    https://support.avira.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000109798-Avira-Antivirus-for-Windows

     
  18. Tinstaafl

    Tinstaafl Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jul 30, 2015
    Posts:
    965
    Location:
    USA
    Agreeeeeeeeed!
     
  19. Tinstaafl

    Tinstaafl Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jul 30, 2015
    Posts:
    965
    Location:
    USA
    +1000
     
  20. Tinstaafl

    Tinstaafl Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jul 30, 2015
    Posts:
    965
    Location:
    USA
    I tend to agree with you, but giving more money to a company that doesn't listen... meh...
     
  21. Minimalist

    Minimalist Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jan 6, 2014
    Posts:
    14,881
    Location:
    Slovenia, EU
    Avira’s entire global workforce to work from home in preventative anti-COVID-19 move
    https://blog.avira.com/aviras-entir...from-home-in-preventative-anti-covid-19-move/
     
  22. popescu

    popescu Registered Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2018
    Posts:
    259
    Location:
    Canada
  23. imdb

    imdb Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 2, 2011
    Posts:
    4,208
    this question makes no sense at all. :thumbd:
     
  24. popescu

    popescu Registered Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2018
    Posts:
    259
    Location:
    Canada
    Why not?

    If there is ZERO performance impact working from home, why the company has to pay rent for offices all over the world and why people have to commute, sometime for hours , back and forth to work,when they can simply work from home , with absolutely same result, as per Avira.
     
    Last edited: Mar 13, 2020
  25. imdb

    imdb Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 2, 2011
    Posts:
    4,208
    it's just a temporary precaution (an unexpected interruption to operations/force majeure). you can't run a million $ company from home for good.
     
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.