avast Free Antivirus blocks internet connection

[Sugoi]

Hello avast community!

I was wondering if other people here are experiencing the same issue with the most recent versions of avast too.
This applies to the following builds:
19.3.4241.0
19.4.4318.0
EDIT: 19.5.xxxx

After installing those and rebooting the computer internet access is blocked.
The previous build 19.1.4142 works fine. Which is why I'll stick with it for the time being.

Intalled avast components:
- File Shield
- Web Shield

My PC is running:
- Win 7 Pro 64-bit  (with the latest security updates)
- Outpost Firewall Pro  (also the latest version available)

[DavidR]

How have you determined that Avast Free blocks your internet connection ?

Avast Free doesn't have a firewall so no internet blocking should occur other than the Web Shield blocking malicious sites, etc.

As you can see from my signature I still use Avast Free and Outpost Firewall Pro on my XP Pro system, without issue.  That said the XP/Vista avast program support ended with Avast 18.8 and I still have 18.5 on that system.

Ensure that you have avast functions requiring internet connection allowed in Outpost Firewall Pro.  Since there are several files requiring internet connections.  I can't recall the setting but I think there is a learning mode (allow most, firewall and policy settings) it may be easiest to set the Outpost Firewall into that for a short period of time and it should pick up those avast processes/services requiring connection.

[Sugoi]

Hello DavidR!

Thanks a lot for your reply.

It indeed took me a while to pinpoint avast.
When the internet on my PC stopped working I thought that something else went wrong. Even though on my smartphone and tablet both connected via my router's WIFI internet was working fine I did reset my router's settings and so on. But all to no avail. Eventually I just restored a system backup and installed the respective updates.

In-between the installation of the updates and programs I had been checking whether internet access was working or not. And it was! Until I installed the latest version of avast free AV again (used default settings in avast)...  I tried uninstalling avast to revert back to an older version but unfortunately that process turned out to be quite the pain... I could not uninstall it... Seems like fighting malware requires software that behaves like malware...

In the end I had to restore the system backup again. 
Of course I made sure to grant all avast related components internet access in Outpost firewall. That process I'm quite used to. All the components visible on your screenshot are green on my PC too. (Thanks for going through the trouble of taking it.  )

As mentioned above build 19.1.4142 works perfectly!
Since I only use the components "File Shield" and "Web Shield" I suppose in the most recent version something about them was changed. And that something seems to mess things up on my PC. 

Maybe some of the staff involved with the development might have a clue what's causing this.


I guess that sticking with an older version is just fine considering that you do that too. 

[DavidR]

Unfortunately as an avast user myself and I only have Outpost Firewall Pro on my old XP system and that is limited to a max of avast 18.8. 

My image could/would be different for avast 19.x versions and OSes, so not only comparing avast executable in my image, check the Avast folder as there are different services, these file would have an avast icon and or begin with asw----.exe or AV----.exe

Although I have a multi user lifetime license for Outpost Firewall Pro I don't have it installed on my windows 10 system (one I'm not entirely sure it would be compatible) I'm using the default windows firewall and that appears to be working just fine.

[mchain]

Just for the heck of it, uninstall Outpost Firewall Pro, update to a newer version and use the default Win 7 firewall for a while.  Better?

[EDIT:]  Be sure to reboot your system after uninstalling OFP, and again after upgrading to a newer version.  Ensure Win 7 Firewall is turned on too. 
Note:  Sometimes the online installer that Avast prefers does not work as well as it should, so use their offline installer instead.

[DavidR]

Just for the heck of it, uninstall Outpost Firewall Pro, update to a newer version and use the default Win 7 firewall for a while.  Better?

[EDIT:]  Be sure to reboot your system after uninstalling OFP, and again after upgrading to a newer version.  Ensure Win 7 Firewall is turned on too. 
Note:  Sometimes the online installer that Avast prefers does not work as well as it should, so use their offline installer instead.

Outpost Firewall Pro is no longer available it was bought out some time ago.

[Sugoi]

Although I have a multi user lifetime license for Outpost Firewall Pro I don't have it installed on my windows 10 system (one I'm not entirely sure it would be compatible) I'm using the default windows firewall and that appears to be working just fine.

Mhhh, I personally have never liked the "on-board" firewall of Windows. Have always liked the idea to have additional control. As for that I have loved Outpost. It's really a pity that its developer Agnitum was bought up.

When I get a new PC somewhen next year I intend to get Glasswire firewall. From I read it offers at least the same features as Outpost. The price for a multi-user licence seems to be reasonable as well.

Just for the heck of it, uninstall Outpost Firewall Pro, update to a newer version and use the default Win 7 firewall for a while.  Better?

[EDIT:]  Be sure to reboot your system after uninstalling OFP, and again after upgrading to a newer version.  Ensure Win 7 Firewall is turned on too. 
Note:  Sometimes the online installer that Avast prefers does not work as well as it should, so use their offline installer instead.

Hello mchain!

As DavidR wrote there is no newer version for Outpost around, unfortunately. 

As for the installer, I tried both the online and offline installer resulting in the same issue. 

[DavidR]

Although I have a multi user lifetime license for Outpost Firewall Pro I don't have it installed on my windows 10 system (one I'm not entirely sure it would be compatible) I'm using the default windows firewall and that appears to be working just fine.

Mhhh, I personally have never liked the "on-board" firewall of Windows. Have always liked the idea to have additional control. As for that I have loved Outpost. It's really a pity that its developer Agnitum was bought up.

When I get a new PC somewhen next year I intend to get Glasswire firewall. From I read it offers at least the same features as Outpost. The price for a multi-user licence seems to be reasonable as well.
<snip quote>

I too was never happy with the windows firewall especially very OS versions, but they/it is getting better and that is why I gave the win10 firewall a go (so far so good), rather than installing Outpost Pro in win10.  I'm not even sure it is compatible with win10 given its last update predates win10.

Since the GlassWire appears to do more than being a bog standard firewall.

Download GlassWire's firewall & network monitoring software to detect and block threats your antivirus missed.

I wonder if that is more akin to Outpost Firewall's Proactive Protection Anti-Leak, System & Application Guard, etc.) so as not to conflict with the users AV.

[rb882299]

While I can not confirm that it is Avast that is causing my computer to lose it's connection every six or seven days to the internet, it happens every time I get the Avast screen that tells me I am protected.  This only happened one other time and that was with AVG Free.  Once I removed it the internet connection was fine and everything worked like normal.  I have contacted my internet provider to see if the issue might be the modem but I would almost bet against it.  Just because there is no firewall in Avast Free does not mean it doesn't block something else in the system.  If need be, I will pull Avast Free off the PC to see if it helps fix the issue.

[bob3160]

While I can not confirm that it is Avast that is causing my computer to lose it's connection every six or seven days to the internet, it happens every time I get the Avast screen that tells me I am protected.  This only happened one other time and that was with AVG Free.  Once I removed it the internet connection was fine and everything worked like normal.  I have contacted my internet provider to see if the issue might be the modem but I would almost bet against it.  Just because there is no firewall in Avast Free does not mean it doesn't block something else in the system.  If need be, I will pull Avast Free off the PC to see if it helps fix the issue.

How did you remove AVG

[Sugoi]

Just gave the latest version 19.5.xxxx a try. Same problem. 

However, I could pinpoint the problem source. It's the "web shield" component/module.
Simply disabling it won't solve the problem. As soon as I uninstall it the internet access is working again.

[bob3160]

Just gave the latest version 19.5.xxxx a try. Same problem. 

However, I could pinpoint the problem source. It's the "web shield" component/module.
Simply disabling it won't solve the problem. As soon as I uninstall it the internet access is working again.

It sounds more like something is blocking the web shield from getting to the internet.
What other security related programs are running on the system

[DavidR]

Just gave the latest version 19.5.xxxx a try. Same problem. 

However, I could pinpoint the problem source. It's the "web shield" component/module.
Simply disabling it won't solve the problem. As soon as I uninstall it the internet access is working again.

Did you not try disabling the Glasswire element I mentioned before (Reply #7 above) that could possibly be in conflict with avast ?

[schmidthouse]

Just gave the latest version 19.5.xxxx a try. Same problem. 

However, I could pinpoint the problem source. It's the "web shield" component/module.
Simply disabling it won't solve the problem. As soon as I uninstall it the internet access is working again.

Did you not try disabling the Glasswire element I mentioned before (Reply #7 above) that could possibly be in conflict with avast ?

Just to add if interested, I have run 'Glasswire' in the past and still have a valid license and found the program quite finicky with a few programs as well as Avast.

@David
I had done some research on OFP just a few months ago and found many Links/Posts etc claiming/stating this fine FW is NOT compatible with Win 10

[DavidR]

Just gave the latest version 19.5.xxxx a try. Same problem. 

However, I could pinpoint the problem source. It's the "web shield" component/module.
Simply disabling it won't solve the problem. As soon as I uninstall it the internet access is working again.

Did you not try disabling the Glasswire element I mentioned before (Reply #7 above) that could possibly be in conflict with avast ?

Just to add if interested, I have run 'Glasswire' in the past and still have a valid license and found the program quite finicky with a few programs as well as Avast.

@David
I had done some research on OFP just a few months ago and found many Links/Posts etc claiming/stating this fine FW is NOT compatible with Win 10

I'm not using it on Win10, whilst it was still around when win10 first came out, as far as I'm aware they weren't doing any win10 development on it.