Avast WEBforum

Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: jaekobcaed on September 18, 2013, 08:45:28 AM

Title: Site blocker
Post by: jaekobcaed on September 18, 2013, 08:45:28 AM

Hello, I was playing around with the Avast Site Blocker today, and I put a few URLs into the site blocker, yet it doesn't seem to block ALL of the sites. Some of them are blocked, others aren't. It almost seems like sites that I test-blocked a few days ago and decided to leave on the list are the only ones that are blocked, while the ones I just added aren't working. I made sure that the blocker was enabled, and I also ensured all the URLs were typed properly in both the browser and in the blocker.

Could this be a bug, or do I need to reboot my laptop or something like that to get this to work?

Thanks,
-Jacob

Title: Re: Site blocker
Post by: DavidR on September 18, 2013, 01:16:12 PM

Hard for anyone to answer without more information to work with, e.g. the avast version you are using, some of the URLs (full text of what you are entering) you are trying you block that don't work and if those are https ?

When posting URLs please change the http to hXXp so links aren't live/clickable.

Title: Re: Site blocker
Post by: jaekobcaed on September 18, 2013, 09:00:05 PM

I have Avast! 8.0.1497 edit: Free Edition

I found a list of different scam/shock sites and other sites that could potentially be dangerous and I put them on there back a few days ago (sites included hXXp://www.copyright-reform.info or hXXp://www.cadaver.org), but then I tried blocking sites last night, testing sites like YouTube, because a new list I added wasn't working. Sure enough, anything I added that first day was still blocked, but anything I added last night wouldn't end up being blocked. None of them are https as far as I can see.

Title: Re: Site blocker
Post by: DavidR on September 19, 2013, 01:38:36 AM

Doesn't youtube use https now, so https wouldn't be blocked as the site blocker uses the web shield functionality to display the blocked site info page. The reason for this is the web shield currently doesn't redirect/monitor https traffic.

I tried a block on both the examples you gave and mine were able to block, see example of the URL strings input in my settings.

The first example sets a wildcard to save typing the http www bit and would also work in blocking sub-domains of that site.
The second example uses the full url and avast tags the trailing * to the end of the url string.

Title: Re: Site blocker
Post by: jaekobcaed on September 19, 2013, 07:30:52 AM

Hmm, random sites appear to not be blocked, while other ones are; and I fooled around with both settings, too, and it didn't seem to work. :-\