Avast polling files.avast.com/files/vpn_ssid_notif.txt every second.

[murmatron]

Avast: Free, up-to-date everything.
Active shields: Web, File System, Behaviour & Script

Shortly after having used a VPN and then disconnected, I noticed residual net traffic & CPU usage.

Wireshark revealed that AvastSvc was polling (successfully) http://files.avast.com/files/vpn_ssid_notif.txt once a second.

A reboot was required to stop it.

[mikaelrask]

hey it sounds like it could be a bug a programmer might have to lock into this.

[murmatron]

Update...

It started doing it again, but this time no VPN had been connected since reboot (the OpenVPN TAP adapter is enabled but "Network cable unplugged")

Apparently disconnecting and reconnecting my wireless connection was enough.

In this case it actually stopped by itself after around 5 minutes.

[M-J-K]

Unfortunately, it seems that this problem still isn't solved in 2019.

When I connect to an OpenVPN server from an open wireless hotspot, Avast sends almost 500 requests for http://files.avast.com/files/vpn_ssid_notif.txt during 250 seconds (almost 2 requests a second).

Whatever the reason for this behavior is--I think it should be considered a bug, since the job of a virus scanner is not to generate heavy load in a network. Maybe an Avast developer should have a look at it.

The product used is Avast Free 19.4.2374 Build 19.4.4318.491 (without SecureLine VPN or any other module) on Windows 7.