Avast WEBforum
Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Beta - Avast => Topic started by: REDACTED on July 26, 2016, 10:57:45 PM
-
Now we get pop-ups suggesting adding features or stuff...
I just got a new one - "Avast has found unsecured passwords on your system" ?
How would Avast know this without searching for or analyzing files / stuff for potential passwords?
This sounds like a serious invasion of my privacy - where a program I put on my system to secure it - is now looking inside files to find passwords?
Please STOP THIS - this is not a good thing. I know you want us to use the 'Tools' Avast provides - but SOME OF US prefer to ONLY want Anti-Virus protection and nothing else.
Avast is not unlike Windows 10 notifications now - EXTREMELY annoying - sometimes actually interferring with programs running. Like World of Tanks or DishTV - playing a game or watching a movie - I'll get a pop-up feature recommendation which in WOT actually covers the game Map - making it impossible to see the battlefield for a moment till the pop-up leaves... I wish Avast would move it's notifications/product update features back to the Update window - I prefer and did not mind getting asked to 'buy an upgrade' during an upgrade - I like and prefer the 'show pop-up when an update is available that shows WHEN the UI/systray icon is initialized during login - and I'll upgrade when I know I am not busy... but to solicit features - tell me my computer has unprotected passwords 'found' on it, right in the middle of doing something - is quite shocking.
I dislike all the new 'component' add-ins - and have all of the fancy new components disabled - including 'Privacy - Passwords' - it is OFF... I should NOT be solicited to turn on a feature I have manually disabled - having chose to NOT use it!
Only File System Shield, Mail Shield, Web Shield and Home Network Security (which sounds helpful) are running.
I have no interest in using the:
Software Updater - I use windows update - any other apps on my system usually track their own versions on execution - why should I share version info with Avast? So Avast would send version info of all my executables to some main server, then return what needs updating? This is a very big privacy concern... why should I share what applications I run - if this info gets monitored/hacked - a hacker would know if I am running financial tools - making my system a good target to monitor or hack... I chose not to share what I run.
Browser Cleanup - I can use the built-in cache deletions / other stuff within the browsers themselves.
Rescue Disk - this concept is very old, to me, Windows 10 has system restore and file versioning, and the ability to restore the OS itself... For a 3rd party tool to successfully do this - would require daily backups - to properly monitor file version changes from OS and app updates... And restoring older files a major problem/concern.
Or is this just a bootable virus/trojan recovery scanning program - then why not call it that - it is not an OS Rescue disk as in reinstall the operating system as to me 'Rescue' suggests.?
SecureLine VPN - I learned this might be a useful tool for mobile phones - but for a home system - why? Unless I really want to hide the physical location of the origin of my connection - the purpose of a VPN (which I have seen used most often by scammers trying to pretend they are in San Francisco instead of Ghana, or to use while in China to pretend to be in the U.S. to avoid China servers blocking content.)...
I see no use of this for a home user unless you have malicious intent. I have heard some having problems as secure networks often want to verify your source IP to validate you as a real user... which using a VPN destroys... requiring adding them to 'exception' lists - again why... I have no interest in using this component...
Even 'Cleanup', I have it disabled - why? Well, I don't know what it is - I do not want anything running on my OS that I do not want running, and without knowing what it is - I don't want it. I also don't want anything 'monitoring' my system beyond AV file and email protection.
I work with very large applications, a developer myself - and often find myself shutting down stuff services/processes (like javaupdate, googleupdate, stuff that just does not need to run all the time) in order to work. I prefer to work in memory vs swapfiles! - and having anything un-needed running using system resources is more of a problem then a benefit.
My closing comments: First it was Avast adding Internet Security, then Firewall protection - as 'add-on, pay more features - and okay, if we want these, we can pay more - great.
Now it's Avast adding 'components' - to add 'more features, functionality' - and forcing these on users.
Why can't 'Anti-virus' be JUST THAT - simple 'FREE' Anti-virus, as it was before - without 'tools/components' adding new stuff? Let Avast make their $ off the higher packages. I admit, I am cheap - and not going to update to the paid license versions - BUT - I am also a NERD, and asked about AV protection all the time - and I know for a fact many of my friends and business customers HAVE purchased the full Avast Suite - great for them - so Avast benefits from my recommendations - all I ask is that if I chose too, why can't I have a simple basic version to keep my system safe without all the bells and whistles?
Sorry, I do like to comment and often type way too much... I try to leave comments to inspire and help, if you don't like them - to each their own... but I've been Beta testing Windows since 98se, so many long-gone AV and Firewall apps back when Windows didn't have a Firewalls, and so many other applications - I think I'm pretty good at sharing ideas... hope they help someone...
-
How would Avast know this without searching for or analyzing files / stuff for potential passwords?
This sounds like a serious invasion of my privacy - where a program I put on my system to secure it - is now looking inside files to find passwords?
If avast is able to see this then think what a malicious program may be able to. So is not a warning from avast a good thing?
I dislike all the new 'component' add-ins - and have all of the fancy new components disabled - including 'Privacy - Passwords' - it is OFF... I should NOT be solicited to turn on a feature I have manually disabled - having chose to NOT use it!
You can remove modules you dont like >> https://www.avast.com/faq.php?article=AVKB96#artTitle
Rescue Disk - this concept is very old, to me, Windows 10 has system restore and file versioning, and the ability to restore the OS itself... For a 3rd party tool to successfully do this - would require daily backups - to properly monitor file version changes from OS and app updates... And restoring older files a major problem/concern.
Or is this just a bootable virus/trojan recovery scanning program - then why not call it that - it is not an OS Rescue disk as in reinstall the operating system as to me 'Rescue' suggests.?
Lots of info in FAQ section >> https://support.avast.com/support/home
-
I wonder how many times
- we need to tell that the pop-ups can be disable in the paid versions and in the free version people can use the silent/gaming mode....
- people should use the custom installation and not the default one
- people should do some (re)searching by themselfs to find out what things are/how they work etc.
And why even running a beta version...