Avast recommends download from CNET - good idea?

I'm sorry and I will admit right off the bat that this is solely my opinion and this really can be a subjective thing, but...

...I don't want my antivirus solution company behaving in any way that even remotely resembles adware practices.

If the CNET isn't a problem for you, then by all means go for it.

But I am a firm believer that security solutions, free or paid, should always be directly downloadable from the vendor's website and a secure server. This ensures authenticity, security, and it just makes them look good. It's just a smart, best practice move all around. Can't see that there is much to disagree with there. If they can't even host their own downloads, how are we supposed to trust they can manage anything else?

 

Well, that's why all avast! installers are signed by digital signature. If it doesn't have the signature or is broken, then the installer has been tempered and you should delete it immediately.

We have talked with avast! team about this matter and even though they partially agree, i also had to agree that CNET's download.com generates quite some new users monthly just because of its position from the past.
So you have to draw a line and decide how far you want to go.
At the moment, it will remain as it is. If things change too much to the bad side for the users, they will look for alternative ways and provide better experience to the end users.

 

I trust avast, which for me, trumps not trusting CNET.
Then I trust HitmanPro and MBAM scans of the installer.

 

Fair enough.

I would only be concerned about...just the many, many inexperienced, non-tech savvy end users who search for "free AV" and click-click-click. It's not too farfetched to worry they probably won't stop to notice a yellow UAC prompt due to a broken signature.

But then again, what are you gonna do? You can't force people to be educated and protected.

 

It's not like you can download any other avast! from download.com than the original one...

 

Q: Avast recommends download from CNET - good idea?
A: NO !!

CNET manipulates software like using the piggyback trick.
about three weeks ago, a friend downloaded ccleaner of the cnet website.
he had to click on 'cancel' or a button with an even worse name to install WITHOUT the 'force feeded' toolbar (in this case) during the installation process.
Everybody normally clicks: 'yes,next next finish' etc. But certainly not 'cancel' !

So it will install the software that CNET wants to force feed you. (piggyback).

There is no good reason (for a downloader) to have his/hers download changed or manipulated by CNET, and especially for antimalware software this is dangerous.

Even worse, the download of ccleaner later was clean, that is worse because now you never know when they have changed it or not.
You never know when you can trust a download, even if you have downloaded it before.

Another thing is, that normally the antimalware software will be installed on a clean operating system, so that already installed malware can't manipulate your installation. In this case the toolbar or worse can be active before your antimalware is

This must be like the mistake Avira made with his toolbar in the free version.

But the saddest part of all is, when you think what the reason is, for Avast to promote CNET downloads ..

 

Until now.. CNET is bundling their crap with only with new builds from programs, Avast's latest build is from November, so we'll have to wait and see what they do when Avast releases a new build.

 

Scheduled for the next month...
Tic tac tic tac

 

Found this but have not tried the direct download as I never download from CNET.

 

Can someone check to see if Avast detects any adware/spyware in programs downloaded with the CNET wrapper? I don't have Avast installed at the moment. It will probably need to be checked again after the next Avast build to see if the wrapper becomes part of Avast when downloaded from CNET.

 

avast! will never become wrapped in CNET's crap. You can bet on that.

 

Can't you just download straight from Avast's own site?

 

Can you say redirect?
Clicking on the free download link on the avast site takes you to a CNET download.
The paid versions are not redirected to CNET.
Try it... http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download

 

Wow,talk about paranoia. If you want to download AVAST,getting it from CNET is not gonna harm your PC,period.

 

If you go to the download page for avast free and scroll down to the bottom of the page, there is a link to download directly from avast servers.

 

Not for me, tgell.

 

Page, you ll see the link on the left side at the bottom of the page.

Bo

 

It's under "More Options" Page42.....

 

Yes, you're quite right, Kerodo.
I wasn't clicking on the 'More Options' button.

 

v7.0?

 

Yes, Avast 7 Beta is just around the corner

Greetz, Red.

 

Nice

 

Boost can you please explain us why CNET (in general) makes a wrappers
for a lot of software that you can download there,for piggybacking software like toolbars?
Try for your self, and you will see they make this wrappers or downloaders.

This is a fact, and you can't guarantee that they won't do the same with Avast.

The question is thus: What is their win to make you install a toolbar,
and why have the makers made a free toolbar to start with anyway ?

 

Personally,I do not have any issue with this at all. I tried this and got avast downloaded with no issues,no toolbar got installed,etc. Why you or anyone has issues,I couldnt tell you other then you dont know how to install programs correctly is my only guess.

 

Aside from whether there is a benefit or a negative aspect to this 3rd party downloading or not, I just respectively disagree with the practice from a security vendor.

When talking about security software, which is probably the 2nd most important piece of software you'll install next to the OS itself, it should be always offered from the vendor's website. That's just my opinion.