Avast identifying Listango but not on machine

[wbheath]

Has anyone experienced where Avast is identifying Listango and asking to remove it, but that program is not on ones machine? This is happening to a friend of mine and I am trying to help him out. All I can see is that Listango is a book mark add-on.

Always,
Wildman
 

[Pondus]

Has anyone experienced where Avast is identifying Listango and asking to remove it,

identifying as what?

[Eddy]

Listango is an online bookmark manager.
Ofcourse it is not on your system.

I just tested it and there is no problem at all.

[polonus]

Agree with Eddy, it is in the Google Chrome Web Store
See DrWeb's URL check: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/listango-bookmark-manager/dmbdkkenkdllkpiognpnmlaglmojagnh redirects to https://chrome.google.com/webstore/unsupported/dmbdkkenkdllkpiognpnmlaglmojagnh

Checking: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/unsupported/dmbdkkenkdllkpiognpnmlaglmojagnh
Engine version: 7.0.9.4080
Total virus-finding records: 5402359
File size: 2631 bytes
File MD5: d9815b725309052c067cdd2671780cf8

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/unsupported/dmbdkkenkdllkpiognpnmlaglmojagnh - archive JS-HTML
>https://chrome.google.com/webstore/unsupported/dmbdkkenkdllkpiognpnmlaglmojagnh/JSTAG_1[23e][1ec] - Ok
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/unsupported/dmbdkkenkdllkpiognpnmlaglmojagnh - Ok

polonus

[REDACTED]

Okay, I just found out that a friend was trying to find out why it showed up on my machine here. Thanks Mr. Heath, I'll try to take it from here since they seem to have a simple answer for the odd problem.

It know it doesn't exist on my machine. The Add-on existed on my machine,  not the actual program itself. Therefore Avast did alert on something on my machine (the Add-On).


Also you will note that Avast gave a "Warning" of a Bad Add-on


I ignored the warning and removed the Add-On myself so that my browser and search engine would not be hi-jacked again by the fixit tool of Avast. (A simple fix I know, but annoying anyway).
I used the removal for the add-on in Chrome, searched the machine for any folders or traces of Listango, also did a Registry search with a program for any instances of Listango to see if Avast was reporting from a remnant. Nothing on the machine in these searches.
The next day the Warning pops up "again". My Chrome was not signed in to Google account so that ruled out the add-on somehow being reinstalled. I again searched the machine and found nothing.
Question is: Why is (or was, since it hasn't done it again today) Avast still Warning of an add-on that doesn't exist on the machine.
Is there a flag that is set to alert "X" number of times after the first if you don't use the built in Bad Add-On remover?

I sent a detailed ticket/email to Avast support just like posted here, but got back the answer that it is a bookmark program for saving bookmarks. I knew that already so didn't pursue it farther.

Do any of you know why it would continue to pop up the Warning after it having been removed by me, other than my theory that since I didn't let Avast remove it that it still hit a couple more times and then realized it wasn't there anymore? I'm stumped, but it hasn't hit on it today so maybe it's over with.
ASUS laptop 64 bit Windows 7 up to date.
Avast Free fully up to date.

Thanks,

[polonus]

The alert is from a part of your avast av solution that is  called "browser clean-up", used to detect and uninstall unwanted browser extensions.
Why this part of the av solution flagged this? Probably particular privacy intrusion reasons or the extent as what the extension can do inside the browser.
The decision to uninstall is yours. "Unwanted" is a term denoting a probable risk, but it does not mean the extension "an sich" is suspicious or malicious, else Google development would not allow it on.

polonus

[REDACTED]

That's what I was thinking. It probably "mimics" actions of some other types of software that might be bad. Sort of like many programs will hit on remote control software due to it's abilities in the system.

I was just perplexed at the continued warnings (2) after it was removed by me. May be a mystery never solved but at least you have now heard of it happening.

A weak spot for avast in my opinion is the fact that it says it has a "bad reputation" among avast users. Meaning it could be a perfectly good program but just because a few didn't think it suited their needs they rated it poorly.

Avast may want to look into that. Warning people that a program may be "Bad" based on user reviews instead of actual infection reports, could cost a company like Listango (advertisement revenue) by causing undeserved fear of it simply because a few users didn't like it for whatever reason. It's not good when you are trying to develop software and an anti-virus program is labeling it as "Bad".

Something that might need to be mentioned in this thread for others that look for this problem.
Is the software Listango actually "Bad" for your computer?
Or it just mimics actions of a possibly malicious program but is safe.

Perhaps Avast might want to consider "White Flagging" it somehow if it is indeed a good program and not actively harmful on purpose.

[Eddy]

A weak spot for avast in my opinion is the fact that it says it has a "bad reputation" among avast users. Meaning it could be a perfectly good program but just because a few didn't think it suited their needs they rated it poorly.

You are correct about that it can be a harmless add-on. But you can be wrong about the "few", unless it is calculated on percentage.

E.G:
10 people install it, 8 remove it, giving it a bad score of 80%
If avast takes the 10 people and say "Hé look! Only 10 like it..." then indeed it is a few.

I would like to see how exactly avast is calculating the reputation score.
It could tell us a lot more about what is going on.

based on user reviews

I am against this. Almost no-one who is using a computers knows how things are working. That makes user reviews not very trustworthy. Besides that, user who have a problem/bad experience with something post more and faster than user who don't have any problem. So if it should based on user reviews, it would be best to only have a selected group of people who know what they are doing/talking about are allowed to test/review things.

A commonly made mistake (you seem to be making it too),
is that people think the add-on is bad while avast only says it has a bad reputation.
avast doesn't say it is bad/harmful.
If it would be harmful, the file- and/or webshield should give a alert.

On a side note:
You don't need the add-on at all to work with Listango.
Just drag the link (as they explain) to your bookmarks and click on it if you want to bookmark a site that you are visiting.

[REDACTED]

I agree Eddy it could be used without the Add-On, but it was presented to me as an add-on and how I had planned on using it.

A commonly made mistake (you seem to be making it too),
is that people think the add-on is bad while avast only says it has a bad reputation.
avast doesn't say it is bad/harmful.
If it would be harmful, the file- and/or webshield should give a alert.

I don't see me as making the mistake. My anti-virus "says" it is bad based on reputation, and it would continue to alert me if I left it installed. To me that is my protection program forcing me to use it without the add-on option as Avast says in the Warning that it is "bad".
Whether you label it as a bad reputation or bad harmful wise, you are still prompting me to remove it. When the words "Warning" are used to get your attention, and the only option is to "Remove Bad Add-on" or exit out and wait for the next "Warning" then most people of average ability will take it that it is bad to remain on your system.

The "Reputation" does not specify if it was a bad reputation due to harm, or just un-liked software, and as you pointed out, it can be great software and the majority of people saying they don't like it, may be those that had a problem (aesthetic or functional) with it, not because it is harmful. Warnings should be based on actual reports of harm, not the popularity. Many users aren't as savvy as you or I and will be frightened by any "Warning" and "Remove Bad Add-on" prompts.

I hope they consider doing away with they unreliable "reputation" ratings. Give me concrete reports of harm, not opinions of whether it is good or not based on a few arbitrary feelings about the software's functionality.

It's sort of like website ratings, just a very few malicious reports from someone that doesn't like the owner of a website can cause false alerts. The website may be fine, but most people report unfavorable stuff than kudos to a site.

I hope if higher ups read this thread they will give more thought on the "reputation" based detection system they have in place and use actual virus signatures/definitions instead.

Thanks for the help though I appreciate it.