Author Topic: What is aswidsagenta.exe and can I disable it?  (Read 76119 times)

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Offline EmoHobo

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What is aswidsagenta.exe and can I disable it?
« on: February 08, 2017, 04:38:40 AM »
It seems to have come with the new update and I don't really know what it does and it seems to be part of "Avast Identity Protection Software" and I have no idea what that is.

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Re: What is aswidsagenta.exe and can I disable it?
« Reply #1 on: February 08, 2017, 04:57:10 AM »
I got this yesterday and I am fed up with Avast changing/adding/altering things on my computer without asking me or telling me what it is doing.

I though part of the reason for AV software was that it didn't allow alterations without permission.

Even the new icon looks red from a distance and I wonder what is dangerous now.

And it uses almost illegible Captcha - it only took three tries to get something I could read

Offline EmoHobo

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Re: What is aswidsagenta.exe and can I disable it?
« Reply #2 on: February 08, 2017, 05:01:50 AM »
I got this yesterday and I am fed up with Avast changing/adding/altering things on my computer without asking me or telling me what it is doing.

I though part of the reason for AV software was that it didn't allow alterations without permission.

Even the new icon looks red from a distance and I wonder what is dangerous now.

And it uses almost illegible Captcha - it only took three tries to get something I could read
Updating your system has never been a fun experience but in the last few years with Avast, it puts me into full on Anxiety Mode because I know something will be wrong and I'll have to root around to figure out what has been added, changed or just broken and I'll have to go into the system to change it.  I rely on Avast quite a bit since I can't do windows updates on my computer, so for it cause me so much stress makes me sad.

Offline Asyn

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Re: What is aswidsagenta.exe and can I disable it?
« Reply #3 on: February 08, 2017, 05:22:27 AM »
It seems to have come with the new update and I don't really know what it does and it seems to be part of "Avast Identity Protection Software" and I have no idea what that is.
Related to the new behavior shield.
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Offline Eddy

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Re: What is aswidsagenta.exe and can I disable it?
« Reply #4 on: February 08, 2017, 09:26:12 AM »
avast472,

when installing avast/starting to use it, you agreed to the terms.
One of them is giving avast permission to update/change their software if they wish to do so.

As has been told many times, the captcha is there only the first three posts.

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Re: What is aswidsagenta.exe and can I disable it?
« Reply #5 on: February 08, 2017, 02:24:18 PM »
I didn't dispute that Avast could change its software if it wished to do so. I was commenting on their habit of changing my computer without telling me or giving the option of refusing.

Quote
As has been told many times

You might have deducted that I haven't been here 'many times' as it was my first post.

If that is the sort of sneer I am likely to get, I doubt I shall be here very often. I thought it was a help forum. I was mistaken.

Offline RejZoR

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Re: What is aswidsagenta.exe and can I disable it?
« Reply #6 on: February 08, 2017, 02:50:12 PM »
It's a Behavior Shield process. Behavior Shield is a new proactive protection feature to keep users safe from new unknown malware. Devs just made a small mistake in our opinion for not calling processes what they are and instead used these really cryptic names. They are now aware of this and they are going to change this soon (in the next updates not far away).
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Re: What is aswidsagenta.exe and can I disable it?
« Reply #7 on: February 08, 2017, 04:03:19 PM »
Quote
(in the next updates not far away)

My heart sank when I read that :(

Offline RejZoR

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Re: What is aswidsagenta.exe and can I disable it?
« Reply #8 on: February 08, 2017, 04:08:18 PM »
I mean, by using avast!, you're allowing them to keep it up to date with newest technologies. That's the whole point of even using antivirus. To have it always fully up to date and ready to combat new threats. Behavior Shield is an amazing tech with outstanding protection capability. Why wouldn't you want to have that? Aren't you using avast! to be protected?

As for your heart sinking, why? Wouldn't you want processes in Task manager to have meaningful name instead of "aswidsagenta.exe" ?
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Offline DavidR

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Re: What is aswidsagenta.exe and can I disable it?
« Reply #9 on: February 08, 2017, 04:18:16 PM »
<snip>

As for your heart sinking, why? Wouldn't you want processes in Task manager to have meaningful name instead of "aswidsagenta.exe" ?

Agreed, more user friendly names also help determine that it is an avast process. Whilst many of the longer term avast users are pretty familiar with the old asw file name prefix (being Alwil/Avast SoftWare), it isn't very clear for new users.
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Offline RejZoR

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Re: What is aswidsagenta.exe and can I disable it?
« Reply #10 on: February 08, 2017, 04:27:06 PM »
AvastBShield.exe or AvastBehaviorShield.exe would make more sense.
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Offline DavidR

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Re: What is aswidsagenta.exe and can I disable it?
« Reply #11 on: February 08, 2017, 04:32:59 PM »
AvastBShield.exe or AvastBehaviorShield.exe would make more sense.

Agreed, it's not as if we have to conform to the old 8.3 format, many other programs/functions have more friendly names.
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Re: What is aswidsagenta.exe and can I disable it?
« Reply #12 on: February 11, 2017, 12:27:10 AM »
For me as just a user of the software for the last few years

aswidsagenta.exe means as much as AvastBehaviorShield.exe. I have no idea what either of them means.

When I search for the latter it doesn't seem that new.

Offline RejZoR

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Re: What is aswidsagenta.exe and can I disable it?
« Reply #13 on: February 11, 2017, 12:33:35 AM »
Would:
avastBehaviorShieldWhichmonitorsBehaviorOfRunningApplicationsForMaliciousBehavior.exe mean more to you?

The thing is, if it's named the same as in interface itself, you can learn through info and help file. If process name doesn't really relate to anything, you can't even do that...
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Re: What is aswidsagenta.exe and can I disable it?
« Reply #14 on: February 11, 2017, 10:04:44 AM »
Quote
Would:
avastBehaviorShieldWhichmonitorsBehaviorOfRunningApplicationsForMaliciousBehavior.exe mean more to you?

No