Author Topic: Is aswrec.dll in avast (detected by avg as eyecandy) a virus?  (Read 12329 times)

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Offline joemardo12

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Is aswrec.dll in avast (detected by avg as eyecandy) a virus?
« on: August 19, 2014, 06:15:26 PM »
Hi folks,

I have avast as the main antivirus on my computer real time protection and avg as a backup, doesn't startup with computer.

AVG sees aswrec.dll in avast as an infection (eyecandy)and from google searches I see that this file is related to the software updater in avast.

What are your views on this, an infection or not?

Many thanks
Joe

Offline Pondus

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Re: Is aswrec.dll in avast (detected by avg as eyecandy) a virus?
« Reply #1 on: August 19, 2014, 06:21:30 PM »
this is what we think of it   ;)

When Software Collides!   https://blog.avast.com/2014/05/09/when-software-collides-what-to-do-with-your-old-antivirus-program/
Why Using Multiple Antivirus Programs is a Bad Idea   http://blog.kaspersky.com/multiple-antivirus-programs-bad-idea/


if you want a extra scanner, use Malwarebytes, as it is designed to run alongside your AV



suspicious files can be tested here  www.virustotal.com / www.metascan-online.com / www.jotti.org




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Re: Is aswrec.dll in avast (detected by avg as eyecandy) a virus?
« Reply #2 on: August 19, 2014, 07:25:40 PM »
When will people ever learn that two AV's shouldn't be on the same system ::)

Offline bob3160

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Re: Is aswrec.dll in avast (detected by avg as eyecandy) a virus?
« Reply #3 on: August 19, 2014, 07:31:08 PM »
One resident AV one Firewall.
In these 2 cases, more is not better and sooner or later will lead to a conflict.
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Offline Pondus

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Re: Is aswrec.dll in avast (detected by avg as eyecandy) a virus?
« Reply #4 on: August 19, 2014, 07:31:46 PM »
When will people ever learn that two AV's shouldn't be on the same system ::)
Never   :-\

All AV should have a av detector included in the install file and give a warning ..... some AV have this

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Re: Is aswrec.dll in avast (detected by avg as eyecandy) a virus?
« Reply #5 on: August 19, 2014, 07:35:41 PM »
When will people ever learn that two AV's shouldn't be on the same system ::)
Never   :-\

All AV should have a av detector included in the install file and give a warning ..... some AV have this
Yeah I've tested a couple that will detect another AV if installed, one of them even detected Malwarebytes ???  :P

Offline Pondus

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Re: Is aswrec.dll in avast (detected by avg as eyecandy) a virus?
« Reply #6 on: August 19, 2014, 07:39:57 PM »
And then you have those users that say it is a sales trick to get rid of the competition ....... so i guess some have to learn the hard way

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Re: Is aswrec.dll in avast (detected by avg as eyecandy) a virus?
« Reply #7 on: August 19, 2014, 07:51:01 PM »
+1 :)

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Re: Is aswrec.dll in avast (detected by avg as eyecandy) a virus?
« Reply #8 on: August 19, 2014, 10:18:19 PM »
The way the OP described it, there is technically nothing wrong with how he's running his AV's (two of them). 

The user stated he is only using one in real-time which is the only correct way to use two AV's; he is then using the other as a backup scanner.  The only thing he may want to consider is making sure real-time protection on Avast is turned off when he runs an AVG scan and also ensure no AVG services are starting.

The using two AV argument is applicable when you try to have two competing AV's in real-time on your system simultaneously, but you can certainly run manual scans as long as other steps are observed. 

What AVG is detecting is software updater which for all practical purposes is nothing more than an add-on, and potentially classified as a PUP by some other companies, and pure useless nonsense as classified by me.

Keeping all the above in mind, no it is most likely not infected, but when running two AV's in this manner, keep in mind that questionable things such as what you encountered may arise when it looks at the other AV's folders but most likely is not a problem.

IMO a better solution is to run Malwarebytes if you're not already and as an additional scanner use Emsisoft Emergency Kit (award winning and much better comparative results than AVG).  It's portable which means absolutely nothing is installed.  I've been running it for years alongside Avast with no problems.

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Re: Is aswrec.dll in avast (detected by avg as eyecandy) a virus?
« Reply #9 on: August 19, 2014, 11:52:13 PM »
If I remember correctly AVG detects another a/v during install and
will not allow itself (AVG) to be installed when there is a resident
a/v already on the machine. By default AVG will not install on a
computer if it detects avast is already on the PC.

At least that's the way it was four or five years ago. The last
time I ran AVG was late winter or very early spring 2010. That
was when I started using avast. It was avast v5.0.xxx
Dell Inspiron, Win10x64--HP Envy Win10x64--Both systems Avast Free v17.9.2322, Comodo Firewall v8.2 w/D+, MalwareBytes v3.0, OpenDNS, Super Anti-Spyware, Spyware Blaster, MCShield, Unchecky, Vivaldi Browser and, various browser security tools.

"Look before you leap!" Use online scanners before you click on any link.

Offline joemardo12

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Re: Is aswrec.dll in avast (detected by avg as eyecandy) a virus?
« Reply #10 on: August 20, 2014, 12:18:10 AM »
Thanks folks for replies.

I have done some further googling tonight and it does seem that this aswrec.dll file has been causing a problem for some users for some time now.

https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=150764.45

 and from virustotal

https://www.virustotal.com/en/file/bd249dceb575416697ca8d5b1d5eac08cb09236d3b276432be589cf37cc823f6/analysis/

Dprout69 may well have have hit the nail on the head that its nothing to worry about and is related to the software updater.

Just wondering if I was to reinstall avast again do I have the option NOT to install the software updater and not have the aswrec.dll as a result?
.
A false positive or not, I don't know but this particular file does seem to be present in my avast up to date installation.

Thanks a lot for all your help.

joe


« Last Edit: August 20, 2014, 12:25:35 AM by joemardo12 »

Offline Pondus

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Re: Is aswrec.dll in avast (detected by avg as eyecandy) a virus?
« Reply #11 on: August 20, 2014, 12:32:58 AM »
Quote
Just wondering if I was to reinstall avast again do I have the option NOT to install the software updater and not have the aswrec.dll as a result?
.
you already have the option to remove anything you dont want from ad/remove programs > uninstall > change
avast! 2014: Changing, adding, or removing individual program components and features in setup configuration of avast! Antivirus
http://www.avast.com/en-eu/faq.php?article=AVKB96#artTitle


quietman7 
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/186533/is-it-bad-to-run-multiple-antivirus-programs/?p=1046121



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Re: Is aswrec.dll in avast (detected by avg as eyecandy) a virus?
« Reply #12 on: August 20, 2014, 01:26:43 AM »
The way the OP described it, there is technically nothing wrong with how he's running his AV's (two of them). 

The user stated he is only using one in real-time which is the only correct way to use two AV's; he is then using the other as a backup scanner.  The only thing he may want to consider is making sure real-time protection on Avast is turned off when he runs an AVG scan and also ensure no AVG services are starting.

The using two AV argument is applicable when you try to have two competing AV's in real-time on your system simultaneously, but you can certainly run manual scans as long as other steps are observed. 
Wrong...even disabled there will likely be active low level drivers running so disabled or not there should never be two AV's on the same system.

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Re: Is aswrec.dll in avast (detected by avg as eyecandy) a virus?
« Reply #13 on: August 20, 2014, 01:40:43 PM »
The way the OP described it, there is technically nothing wrong with how he's running his AV's (two of them). 

The user stated he is only using one in real-time which is the only correct way to use two AV's; he is then using the other as a backup scanner.  The only thing he may want to consider is making sure real-time protection on Avast is turned off when he runs an AVG scan and also ensure no AVG services are starting.

The using two AV argument is applicable when you try to have two competing AV's in real-time on your system simultaneously, but you can certainly run manual scans as long as other steps are observed. 
Wrong...even disabled there will likely be active low level drivers running so disabled or not there should never be two AV's on the same system.

Wrong... as I stated you may get a RARE false positive off the other AV, but it won't prevent you from getting accurate results off your entire system.  You can have two AV's as long as only one is real time.  I've been running it like that for years... No problems... We agree to disagree.

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Re: Is aswrec.dll in avast (detected by avg as eyecandy) a virus?
« Reply #14 on: August 20, 2014, 01:50:06 PM »
You can agree to disagree, I still say your wrong and it's poor advice to have two AV's on the same system "even when one is disabled" as previously explained and backed up by the detailed information found in the links Pondus has supplied for your reading.

This also refers back to my earlier statement of ( when will people ever learn not to have two AV's on the same system ) ::)