Avast WEBforum
Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: EmoHobo on February 08, 2017, 04:38:40 AM
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It seems to have come with the new update and I don't really know what it does and it seems to be part of "Avast Identity Protection Software" and I have no idea what that is.
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I got this yesterday and I am fed up with Avast changing/adding/altering things on my computer without asking me or telling me what it is doing.
I though part of the reason for AV software was that it didn't allow alterations without permission.
Even the new icon looks red from a distance and I wonder what is dangerous now.
And it uses almost illegible Captcha - it only took three tries to get something I could read
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I got this yesterday and I am fed up with Avast changing/adding/altering things on my computer without asking me or telling me what it is doing.
I though part of the reason for AV software was that it didn't allow alterations without permission.
Even the new icon looks red from a distance and I wonder what is dangerous now.
And it uses almost illegible Captcha - it only took three tries to get something I could read
Updating your system has never been a fun experience but in the last few years with Avast, it puts me into full on Anxiety Mode because I know something will be wrong and I'll have to root around to figure out what has been added, changed or just broken and I'll have to go into the system to change it. I rely on Avast quite a bit since I can't do windows updates on my computer, so for it cause me so much stress makes me sad.
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It seems to have come with the new update and I don't really know what it does and it seems to be part of "Avast Identity Protection Software" and I have no idea what that is.
Related to the new behavior shield.
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avast472,
when installing avast/starting to use it, you agreed to the terms.
One of them is giving avast permission to update/change their software if they wish to do so.
As has been told many times, the captcha is there only the first three posts.
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I didn't dispute that Avast could change its software if it wished to do so. I was commenting on their habit of changing my computer without telling me or giving the option of refusing.
As has been told many times
You might have deducted that I haven't been here 'many times' as it was my first post.
If that is the sort of sneer I am likely to get, I doubt I shall be here very often. I thought it was a help forum. I was mistaken.
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It's a Behavior Shield process. Behavior Shield is a new proactive protection feature to keep users safe from new unknown malware. Devs just made a small mistake in our opinion for not calling processes what they are and instead used these really cryptic names. They are now aware of this and they are going to change this soon (in the next updates not far away).
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(in the next updates not far away)
My heart sank when I read that :(
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I mean, by using avast!, you're allowing them to keep it up to date with newest technologies. That's the whole point of even using antivirus. To have it always fully up to date and ready to combat new threats. Behavior Shield is an amazing tech with outstanding protection capability. Why wouldn't you want to have that? Aren't you using avast! to be protected?
As for your heart sinking, why? Wouldn't you want processes in Task manager to have meaningful name instead of "aswidsagenta.exe" ?
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<snip>
As for your heart sinking, why? Wouldn't you want processes in Task manager to have meaningful name instead of "aswidsagenta.exe" ?
Agreed, more user friendly names also help determine that it is an avast process. Whilst many of the longer term avast users are pretty familiar with the old asw file name prefix (being Alwil/Avast SoftWare), it isn't very clear for new users.
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AvastBShield.exe or AvastBehaviorShield.exe would make more sense.
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AvastBShield.exe or AvastBehaviorShield.exe would make more sense.
Agreed, it's not as if we have to conform to the old 8.3 format, many other programs/functions have more friendly names.
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For me as just a user of the software for the last few years
aswidsagenta.exe means as much as AvastBehaviorShield.exe. I have no idea what either of them means.
When I search for the latter it doesn't seem that new.
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Would:
avastBehaviorShieldWhichmonitorsBehaviorOfRunningApplicationsForMaliciousBehavior.exe mean more to you?
The thing is, if it's named the same as in interface itself, you can learn through info and help file. If process name doesn't really relate to anything, you can't even do that...
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Would:
avastBehaviorShieldWhichmonitorsBehaviorOfRunningApplicationsForMaliciousBehavior.exe mean more to you?
No
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Then nothing will, no matter how they would call it...
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For me as just a user of the software for the last few years
aswidsagenta.exe means as much as AvastBehaviorShield.exe. I have no idea what either of them means.
When I search for the latter it doesn't seem that new.
Surely it gives you more of a clue - Avast Behaviour Shield - You open the avastUI and go to Components - Behaviour Shield open the settings for it and click on the ? (help) icon. That tells you what it does, but aswidsagenta.exe gives you not one clue as to what it is.
However, a google search for aswidsagenta.exe may tell you it is the Avast Behaviour Shield. It may even lead you back to this topic ;)
So a more meaningful file name can only do so much, we can't have a paragraph for a file name.
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I actually wasn't that interested in the name (after all Windows isn't exactly transparent) but what it did and like the original poster, could I switch it off.
As for delving into the bowels of Avast :o By the time you have found the UI, Components, Brhavior Shield, Help there are so many windows open, all the same colour scheme and each with its own close button, it's bewildering.
I wonder how I managed with no interchange before the last (or was it) update...
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...but what it did and like the original poster, could I switch it off.
-> https://blog.avast.com/the-core-security-components-of-avast-2017
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It would have been nice to have been told about it rather than just discovering a new process!!
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It is the process for the new Behavior Shield component. In the next update, it will have the appropriate description already. Identity Protection is the legacy name that was left there by accident.
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avast did tell about it.
In their blog (and other places on their website), in the release history, etc.
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avast did tell about it.
In their blog (and other places on their website), in the release history, etc.
https://blog.avast.com/behavior-shield-our-newest-behavioral-analysis-technology
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I mean, by using avast!, you're allowing them to keep it up to date with newest technologies. That's the whole point of even using antivirus. To have it always fully up to date and ready to combat new threats. Behavior Shield is an amazing tech with outstanding protection capability. Why wouldn't you want to have that? Aren't you using avast! to be protected?
As for your heart sinking, why? Wouldn't you want processes in Task manager to have meaningful name instead of "aswidsagenta.exe" ?
T SOMEONE WITH AVAST ANSWER THE MAN'S QUESTION?????
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I mean, by using avast!, you're allowing them to keep it up to date with newest technologies. That's the whole point of even using antivirus. To have it always fully up to date and ready to combat new threats. Behavior Shield is an amazing tech with outstanding protection capability. Why wouldn't you want to have that? Aren't you using avast! to be protected?
As for your heart sinking, why? Wouldn't you want processes in Task manager to have meaningful name instead of "aswidsagenta.exe" ?
T SOMEONE WITH AVAST ANSWER THE MAN'S QUESTION? ??? ?
Don't have a clue what you are "shouting" about. ???
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I look at my task manager and find the filename, and the explanation "Identity Protection Service," and I'm concerned. I see something I didn't sign up for. I bother with malware protection in the first place because I care about my system's health. There's no value in snarky remarks from the experts. If we had time to be experts, we'd be in the expert business. We have other things to occupy our time and minds, but we still care enough to do our homework, and find this occasionally helpful site. Helpful comments are appreciated; looking down your nose at us won't earn you any more credit than it does in your social circles.
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I look at my task manager and find the filename, and the explanation "Identity Protection Service," and I'm concerned. I see something I didn't sign up for. I bother with malware protection in the first place because I care about my system's health. There's no value in snarky remarks from the experts. If we had time to be experts, we'd be in the expert business. We have other things to occupy our time and minds, but we still care enough to do our homework, and find this occasionally helpful site. Helpful comments are appreciated; looking down your nose at us won't earn you any more credit than it does in your social circles.
Why are you concerned, it's one of the Avast shields that's keeping you safe.
(http://screencast-o-matic.com/screenshots/u/Lh/1489535718560-37365.png)
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The main reason people get concerned is when they face something unexpected in familiar places.
Like seeing some aswidsagenta.exe in process monitor or flagged by the 3rd party firewall for the first time, when it trying to access internet - yes, some people do use the 3rd party firewalls, and, no, I am not suggesting, advertising 3rd party firewalls.
And the person asked if this aswidsagenta.exe can be disabled or, more specifically, is safe to disable without really compromising the status person had prior to introduction of this new component (or revamping of the old one, whatever the case).
Instead some of you went to lengthy and useless discussions of naming your software components more user-friendly, telling everyone off to go search the forums and press-releases and whatnot - do you really expect the Regular Joe to do all that and read all your blogs, forums, etc. when your software does its work without any problems?
The thing is, what was written two pages later really shows the component that has to do with the question and even after that you still can't contain yourself: "Why are you concerned, it's one of the Avast shields that's keeping you safe". Why not adding ", dummy!" to the end of this phrase to really tell them, what you think?
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The main reason people get concerned is when they face something unexpected in familiar places.
Like seeing some aswidsagenta.exe in process monitor or flagged by the 3rd party firewall for the first time, when it trying to access internet - yes, some people do use the 3rd party firewalls, and, no, I am not suggesting, advertising 3rd party firewalls.
And the person asked if this aswidsagenta.exe can be disabled or, more specifically, is safe to disable without really compromising the status person had prior to introduction of this new component (or revamping of the old one, whatever the case).
Instead some of you went to lengthy and useless discussions of naming your software components more user-friendly, telling everyone off to go search the forums and press-releases and whatnot - do you really expect the Regular Joe to do all that and read all your blogs, forums, etc. when your software does its work without any problems?
The thing is, what was written two pages later really shows the component that has to do with the question and even after that you still can't contain yourself: "Why are you concerned, it's one of the Avast shields that's keeping you safe". Why not adding ", dummy!" to the end of this phrase to really tell them, what you think?
So you asked for help, I assume you've now gotten your answer and instead of a simple thanks,
you jump to conclusions. No one ever called you a dummy. You would have been one if you hadn't asked a
question about something that concerned you. :(
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bob3160,
I do thank you for telling what component has this .exe file.
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I just wish I had known it was part of the Antivirus as there is nothing about the name that would tell me up front. I had to look it up online. I looked it up because it as causing a bottleneck on my HDD..
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Kenny29,
instead of shouting, read the replies in this thread.
Someone from avast already did answer the question.
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I removed the Behavior Shield component, but now Avast is saying that some shields are turned off:
(https://s16.postimg.org/gwzvgj4tx/avast2.jpg)
This message would only be pertinent if the behavior shield was installed and turned off, but since the component is removed, it should not show an exclamation mark in the taskbar icon nor should it show this message.
I had to disable the behavior shield because I suspect that it was causing msvcr70.dll crashes on an old game I play.
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I removed the Behavior Shield component, but now Avast is saying that some shields are turned off:
This message would only be pertinent if the behavior shield was installed and turned off, but since the component is removed, it should not show an exclamation mark in the taskbar icon nor should it show this message.
Hi, it's a known bug. Devs are working on it.
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I have problem with aswidsagent.exe - 100% cpu. Behaviour shield is disable.
I have Avast for Bussines, basic.
(sorry for my english)
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I have problem with aswidsagent.exe - 100% cpu. Behaviour shield is disable.
I have Avast for Bussines, basic.
(sorry for my english)
Repair Avast:
Control Panel> Program and Features (Add/remove program)>Select Avast> Select Repair. Reboot when completed
https://www.avast.com/faq.php?article=AVKB204
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I have problem with aswidsagent.exe - 100% cpu. Behaviour shield is disable.
I have Avast for Bussines, basic.
(sorry for my english)
Repair Avast:
Control Panel> Program and Features (Add/remove program)>Select Avast> Select Repair. Reboot when completed
https://www.avast.com/faq.php?article=AVKB204
Bob since this is about 'Avast for Business', I just wonder if this available to Pavel125 or would Pavel125 be better posting this in the Avast For Business / Avast Endpoint Protection (https://forum.avast.com/index.php?board=77.0) sub-forum .
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I have problem with aswidsagent.exe - 100% cpu. Behaviour shield is disable.
I have Avast for Bussines, basic.
(sorry for my english)
Repair Avast:
Control Panel> Program and Features (Add/remove program)>Select Avast> Select Repair. Reboot when completed
https://www.avast.com/faq.php?article=AVKB204 (https://www.avast.com/faq.php?article=AVKB204)
Bob since this is about 'Avast for Business', I just wonder if this available to Pavel125 or would Pavel125 be better posting this in the Avast For Business / Avast Endpoint Protection (https://forum.avast.com/index.php?board=77.0) sub-forum .
I just confirmed that this same option also applies to the business version. :)
(My daughter uses Avast for Business in her business. :) )
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Thank you Bob.
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Bob: Thank you
DavidR: Yes, sorry. I found this topic. My assumption - aswidsagent.exe is for all.
Update: It did not help, CPU again 100%,
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Bob: Thank you
DavidR: Yes, sorry. I found this topic. My assumption - aswidsagent.exe is for all.
Update: It did not help, CPU again 100%,
Sometime ??? All the time ??? What is using all the resources ???
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I notice that Behaviour Shield (aswidsagenta.exe) is hogging memory and occasionally bandwidth to the hard drive (maxed at 100%) this is despite the fact that i have "unistalled" the behaviour shield component in the "components" setting. I uninstalled it because it is hogging resources even when turned off. So now it is hogging resources even when uninstalled. My next step is to uninstall AVAST and go with something else. Really guys. This is urgent. Fix it.
The symptoms are that my machine goes really slow or even appears to stop, and my internet connection dies and I get "Server not found" responses. I disable and re-enaeble my wifi to clear this. Very annoying. The cure is worse than running-the-risk-of-malware.
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I noticed avast's behavior shield is the cause of most problems reported here
I experienced myself that the behavior shield mysteriously prevented a few of my programs to run without any notification. Repairing or clean installation didn't solve the problem
Yesterday, my friend told me that his low-end laptop was sluggish in all tasks and he asked me to looked for the cause because he's a basic user. I found that behavior shield was constantly using CPU ~0.1-1% and almost never stayed at 0%. A few of his programs couldn't run properly too
I decided to uninstall behavior shield and installed the minimum configuration (file & web shields) => his laptop was a lot more responsive and less buggy since then. I tweaked his setup with other programs instead of using avast's Behavior shield
I also noticed avast behavior shield turned of itself in the past
if there is any unsolvable problems, just try to disable Hardware virtualization, if doesn't work -> disable behavior shield -> problems solve
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(http://screencast-o-matic.com/screenshots/u/Lh/1500467470452-94428.png)
Maybe it's time to:
Repair Avast:
Control Panel> Program and Features (Add/remove program)>Select Avast> Select Repair. Reboot when completed
https://www.avast.com/faq.php?article=AVKB204 (https://www.avast.com/faq.php?article=AVKB204)
If Repair doesn't fix the problem, try the following:
Clean Install of Avast:
https://goo.gl/4Ptzkf (https://goo.gl/4Ptzkf)
If you need additional help with the Clean Install, watch this:
https://youtu.be/p-h3myRD51A (https://youtu.be/p-h3myRD51A)
You can download the latest version at: https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=205786.msg1409431#msg1409431
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This Behaviour Shield is cranking down my CPU usability to a creep when Windows Update is done, at least partially for some minutes.
(Without that cranking down it would not be some minutes, it would happen much quicker)
Really?
I was not always like that, but actually.
Windows Update is fully shielded, observed and cranked down, at least at some phases of doing the update process?
Has there been any scenario in that an official Windows Update was a threat?
I mean, okay, 2023, so why not; the new normal could mean that even Windows Update is a threat. Who knows.