For the last day avast free antivirus has been blocking browser access to many but not all image files (e.g. jpgs) stored on image sharing hosts such as imagebam and imgbox. As yet no sign of the same problem with imagevenue or pimp&host sites.
On imagebam avast first allows the browser (e.g. firefox) to display the image, but then blocks/obscures it from the browser window--a seemingly rather belated "security", surely, as if there is an infection it suggests the image/file has already completed its download/transfer to one's computer?
On imgbox avast mostly allows the image to display in the browser window. Sometimes it seems to have a delayed block/obscure--delayed, that is, by perhaps ~10 seconds.
In both the above cases the avast pop-up dialogue reports an html script infection. That is to say, some images on imgbox are successfully displayed but still reported by avast as infected, while others are displayed then obscured, and reported by avast as infected. All images from imagebam that avast reports to be infected are then obscured.
It is possible there has recently been a mass infection of these sites but the fact that it is not just one site that's affected made me wonder if avast has recently altered its code/"sensitivity" in this area and thereby perhaps produced a lot of false positive reports? They are certainly annoying for the user to encounter.
I can add the relevant domains to avast exclusions and thereby access/display the images, but that seems a brittle "work-around" given it leaves one perhaps more vulnerable to any malware that may be on those sites. I've used avast for some years now with no previous such problems or need to add any exclusions.
