Version update to 12.3.2515 is now prompting my users for a Chrome extension...

[REDACTED]

Although we are still evaluating Avast, I have to comment on the fact that with each subsequent update, Avast! is becoming increasingly more invasive. With the most recent release (version 12.3.2515, release date 08/25/2016), a Chrome extension was force installed, and my users are now being prompted to enable the Avast! Chrome browser extension.



This is following closely on the heels of an update that forced the installation of Avast! SafeZone Browser and creation of a SafeZone browser desktop icon.

It is not viable to deploy a product that changes settings, installs programs, and prompts users without any sort of administrative override. We cannot risk updating or continuing to use a program that is going to repeatedly prompt, force installations, create icons, or otherwise affect our 20,000 users. Please remedy this in your upcoming releases... I really want to like and continue using Avast, but it's not going to work if Avast! keeps forcing changes like these.

Thank you,
Dan

[Eddy]

No, it was not forced.
You could (should?) have chosen a custom installation.

[REDACTED]

No, it was not forced.
You could (should?) have chosen a custom installation.

I was not provided the option of a custom installation when I clicked the 'Update Program' button below to update the client PC.



It simply generated the update task. When the task completed, the computer was rebooted, and the prompt appeared in Chrome notifying me that an extension had been installed. Much in the same way that when the system was updated before this, SafeZone browser was silently installed. No prompts to customize the installation at all.

If there is a way to customize what components are installed when systems are updated, please inform me.

[Eddy]

The SafeZone browser wasn't installed on the (free) cloud version.
It was rolled out to the user of avast free consumer version.

[REDACTED]

The SafeZone browser wasn't installed on the (free) cloud version.
It was rolled out to the user of avast free consumer version.

Eddy,

I don't mean to be argumentative here, but that is simply not true. See the screenshot below, taken from one of our testing systems. As you can clearly see, we are running Avast Business Security v.12.3.2515, and the Avast! SafeZone Browser is installed. It was not installed with our interaction or permission.



We very thoroughly test all software in multiple settings before deploying it across our ~20k systems, and the SafeZone browser installation and the Chrome extension repeatedly occur and are easy to reproduce.

[PetrP]

Although we are still evaluating Avast, I have to comment on the fact that with each subsequent update, Avast! is becoming increasingly more invasive. With the most recent release (version 12.3.2515, release date 08/25/2016), a Chrome extension was force installed, and my users are now being prompted to enable the Avast! Chrome browser extension.



This is following closely on the heels of an update that forced the installation of Avast! SafeZone Browser and creation of a SafeZone browser desktop icon.

It is not viable to deploy a product that changes settings, installs programs, and prompts users without any sort of administrative override. We cannot risk updating or continuing to use a program that is going to repeatedly prompt, force installations, create icons, or otherwise affect our 20,000 users. Please remedy this in your upcoming releases... I really want to like and continue using Avast, but it's not going to work if Avast! keeps forcing changes like these.

Thank you,
Dan

Hello Dan!

We're sorry for the troubles. Yes, the extension is installed during program update, but it was not intentional, it's a bug.

There were some changes in how this plugin is installed and now there is a switch set to "Do not install in business edition". Unfortunately this switch is not working correctly during the update and the plugin is installed anyway. After a VPS update check is performed, this setting is also checked and the plugin is uninstalled again.

We definitely don't want to force on you anything you don't want and it will be fixed in the next release.

Thank you
Petr

[REDACTED]

Will this be automatically removed in the next update for the affected users?
On my own machines it was easy to manually uninstall but i dont have an idea who got this installed unwantedly.
Even worse one of the machines got the price comparison bloatware as well.

[PetrP]

Will this be automatically removed in the next update for the affected users?
On my own machines it was easy to manually uninstall but i dont have an idea who got this installed unwantedly.
Even worse one of the machines got the price comparison bloatware as well.

The plugin is removed even in this version after the client checks for VPS update. (You can check for yourself, just give it some time and than look in your browser extensions and the plugin is gone)

In the next release it will be fixed so that it's not even installed in the first place.

Petr

[REDACTED]

Although we are still evaluating Avast, I have to comment on the fact that with each subsequent update, Avast! is becoming increasingly more invasive. With the most recent release (version 12.3.2515, release date 08/25/2016), a Chrome extension was force installed, and my users are now being prompted to enable the Avast! Chrome browser extension.



This is following closely on the heels of an update that forced the installation of Avast! SafeZone Browser and creation of a SafeZone browser desktop icon.

It is not viable to deploy a product that changes settings, installs programs, and prompts users without any sort of administrative override. We cannot risk updating or continuing to use a program that is going to repeatedly prompt, force installations, create icons, or otherwise affect our 20,000 users. Please remedy this in your upcoming releases... I really want to like and continue using Avast, but it's not going to work if Avast! keeps forcing changes like these.

Thank you,
Dan

Hello Dan!

We're sorry for the troubles. Yes, the extension is installed during program update, but it was not intentional, it's a bug.

There were some changes in how this plugin is installed and now there is a switch set to "Do not install in business edition". Unfortunately this switch is not working correctly during the update and the plugin is installed anyway. After a VPS update check is performed, this setting is also checked and the plugin is uninstalled again.

We definitely don't want to force on you anything you don't want and it will be fixed in the next release.

Thank you
Petr

Petr,

Thank you for your reply.

We look forward to future updates remedying these issues. Please do keep in mind that when things like this happen, they have the potential to affect tens of thousands of our users and create an enormous headache for us.

One of the things that we appreciate most about Avast! is being able to get ahold of the developers/administration team through the forums.

Thanks,
Dan

[REDACTED]

Will this be automatically removed in the next update for the affected users?
On my own machines it was easy to manually uninstall but i dont have an idea who got this installed unwantedly.
Even worse one of the machines got the price comparison bloatware as well.

The plugin is removed even in this version after the client checks for VPS update. (You can check for yourself, just give it some time and than look in your browser extensions and the plugin is gone)

In the next release it will be fixed so that it's not even installed in the first place.

Petr

In the current update it does not seem to go away on its own even after checking for updates.

[REDACTED]

I have gotten additional reports from users this morning that they are being prompted for the Avast Chrome extension when launching Chrome. I physically checked their machines and they are running the most current build and have the most current VPS definitions.



It would seem that the extension was not disabled with a new VPS definition check/update...

This is occurring on both Windows 7 and Windows 10 systems.

[REDACTED]

Having the same issue. Is there a way to turn this off so that my students do not get prompted to install it? It will confuse my students, and set my teachers into a panic.

[REDACTED]

Alright, now when I activate systems and they reboot, the following TWO extensions are being installed, as well as the SafeZone browser.



Please do something to remedy this... allow us to disable installing these extensions, etc through the policy rules or something.

Like I mentioned in my first post:

It is not viable to deploy a product that changes settings, installs programs, and prompts users without any sort of administrative override. We cannot risk updating or continuing to use a program that is going to repeatedly prompt, force installations, create icons, or otherwise affect our 20,000 users. Please remedy this in your upcoming releases... I really want to like and continue using Avast, but it's not going to work if Avast! keeps forcing changes like these.

Thanks

[.: Mac :.]

Agreed, Browser security extension might be useful to some but the SafePrice has no business being in the business edition at all

[REDACTED]

Alright, now when I activate systems and they reboot, the following TWO extensions are being installed, as well as the SafeZone browser.



Please do something to remedy this... allow us to disable installing these extensions, etc through the policy rules or something.

Like I mentioned in my first post:

It is not viable to deploy a product that changes settings, installs programs, and prompts users without any sort of administrative override. We cannot risk updating or continuing to use a program that is going to repeatedly prompt, force installations, create icons, or otherwise affect our 20,000 users. Please remedy this in your upcoming releases... I really want to like and continue using Avast, but it's not going to work if Avast! keeps forcing changes like these.

Thanks

Any news on this?  Still happening here.  We can't have Avast automatically installing these extensions and no way to disable/control it.

Edit, apparently it's STILL a bug and isn't expected to be resolved until Q3/Q4 this year: