Bug alert: Cant paste in Firefox after installing Avast

[ralfie]

Cant paste in Firefox after installing Avast Free for Mac.

Latest version of FF. Mojave up to date.

Items don't even get saved to the clipboard.

Disabled avast shields and still a problem.

Uninstalled it and problem solved.

Its a 100% bug.

[.: Mac :.]

Do you see this behavior in other applications besides Firefox? Can you try copy/paste to an application like pages or TextEdit?

[ralfie]

Thanks for your reply. Yes yes, of course. I checked other browsers and other apps on my mac. All worked fine. Only FF was the problem. Interestingly, Avast maje me close FF during installation, so it must have intervened in FF somewhere. Other AV programs have not done that...

[ondrej.kolacek]

Hello,
Avast restarts Firefox because it adds ia certificate to Firefox's certificate store and needs to restart it to ensure that it reloads the certificates. I doubt that any app can have an impact on copy+paste; however I will ask our QA to check this.
Kind regards,
Ondrej Kolacek

[ralfie]

hi Ondrej:

Interesting that you say: "I doubt that any app can have an impact on copy+paste".

Because that was 100% what happened.

Thanks for following up on it :-)

You never know, I might end up using Avast if you resolve this for me.

Thanks,
Ralf

[bransome]

I have the same problem in one but not in every installation.

Under High Sierra, Mac Pro 5,1, Avast Premium Security, I noticed a few days after installing the paid subscription that copy and paste no longer worked in Firefox (69.0.3 at present). I didn't connect it to Avast at first, but it was not fixable using the about:config resource in Firefox. I read up further on the net and discovered that it is apparently well known that some security software in some installations under some OS's block the copying and pasting of elements in web pages in Firefox. Well, I had not succeeded by re-arranging about:config, so I tested inactivation of the Web Shield. Immediately the functionality (copy and paste in Firefox) came back. I tested in Firefox in other installs (10.11 for instance) and the Avast Web Shield does not interfere with copy and paste in Firefox.

On the lack of copy and paste functionality in Firefox 69.0.3 under High Sierra, one is given no warning that it does not work, it just does not work. Copy and paste functions in all other situations.

When will this bug be fixed?

[ernie21]

I had this problem when I upgraded to  High Sierra a couple days ago. Couldn't copy/paste from firefox address window to anywhere. I found a solution involving opening activity manager located in utilities folder and quitting "pboard"
Then I reopened Firefox and it copy/paste worked.
Don't know if it is related to anything going on with Avast, but it did work for me.
How to was covered at OSXDaily.
I unfortunately just noticed it's not working again today...fixed again. 

[ondrej.kolacek]

Hello,
I do not see how Avast could impact pboard app.
Kind regards,
Ondrej Kolacek

[ernie21]

I still have this problem. As I noted above I can fix it by quitting "pboard" but this fix only lasts a short period of time.
The problem only exists with interactions with Firefox.
I still think it has little to do with Avast and I'm going to explore Mozilla support but all the threads I've followed to date don't give much hope.
Solution for me might be to move on from Firefox.
ernie

[ernie21]

Still fighting with this issue.
Everytime I fix it it comes back an hour or so later, or next reboot.
Only effects Firefox, not Google chrome, but several posts linked the issue to Avast.

Today the frustration got to me. I deleted Avast. Problem solved.

sorry avast, 
ernie

[ondrej.kolacek]

Hello,

unfortunately, we are not able to reproduce this.

Please if you can reproduce this, run Terminal app, and run the following command:

Code: [Select]

sudo log stream --level debug >~/Documents/avast.log(the command will block and gather system log into a file). After that start (or restart) firefox, try to (and fail to) paste into Firefox, switch back to Terminal app window, press ctrl + c to stop the command, and send the avast.log file from Documents folder to ondrej.kolacek AT avast.com (ideally compress it first). Please send us support package afterwards with the same mail address specified (so we can match it with the mail) (https://support.avast.com/en-ww/article/Submit-Mac-Security-support-file)

Having this info could possibly move us to the correct direction.

Kind regards,
Ondrej Kolacek

[cYcLIc]

Also having this issue. Cannot copy or paste from Firefox or into Firefox. I think this issue started after I installed Avast Premium Security.

I also cannot delete bookmarks in the bookmarks tab. The delete button is greyed out. After opening and closing Firefox a few times, it starts working again. Very irritating. Will probably have to delete Avast.

[ondrej.kolacek]

Hello,

please if this is happening to you, run a Terminal app, in it run command

Code: [Select]

log stream --level debug|grep Paste >~/Documents/avast.log
and afterwards put something new into your clipboard and try to paste it to firefox. When you have done this, please go to Terminal app, press Ctrl+c.

Aftereards please run another command:

Code: [Select]

/usr/bin/sample pboard -f ~/Documents/pboard.sample
when it finishes, please send avast.log and pboard.sample files in Documents to ondrej.kolacek <at> avast.com

We will check if there is something suspicious with the pasteboard daemon.

Kind regards,
Ondrej Kolacek

[ravomij244]

I have run the log command and found the details relevant to this annoying bug.

2020-04-23 10:53:05.579638+0530 0x3228d    Debug       0x0                  117    hidd: (IOKit) [com.apple.iohid:property] SetProperty called <private>=<private> caller=<private
>
2020-04-23 10:53:05.580001+0530 0x2c2d0    Error       0x0                  44788  firefox: (CoreFoundation) [com.apple.CFPasteboard:general] Failed to set up CFPasteboardRef 'ApplePerContextInputPasteboard'. Error: <error: 0x7fffb2fffda0> { count = 1, transaction: 0, voucher = 0x0, contents =
        "XPCErrorDescription" => <string: 0x7fffb3000048> { length = 18, contents = "Connection invalid" }
}
2020-04-23 10:53:05.580090+0530 0x2c2d0    Debug       0x0                  44788  firefox: (CoreFoundation) [com.apple.CFPasteboard:general] Deallocating pasteboard 'ApplePerContextInputPasteboard ((null)) 0x118cf8a10
2020-04-23 10:53:05.580281+0530 0x2c2d0    Error       0x0                  44788  firefox: (CoreFoundation) [com.apple.CFPasteboard:general] Failed to set up CFPasteboardRef 'ApplePerContextInputPasteboard'. Error: <error: 0x7fffb2fffda0> { count = 1, transaction: 0, voucher = 0x0, contents =
        "XPCErrorDescription" => <string: 0x7fffb3000048> { length = 18, contents = "Connection invalid" }
}
2020-04-23 10:53:05.580350+0530 0x2c2d0    Debug       0x0                  44788  firefox: (CoreFoundation) [com.apple.CFPasteboard:general] Deallocating pasteboard 'ApplePerCon

[timpetro]

Im wondering if anyone ever figured this out. Basically i tested this at length on two different Mac and 3 different version of the OS. Currently my new mac arrived and i once again created the same copy/paste issue within Firefox.
MAC: 10.15.6 Catalina 32GB RAM, 8 TB SSD .. a good machine
Firefox version is now 79.0 (64bit)
Avast version is now 14.5 with the lasted definitions.
I installed Avast and just the 3 fundamental core sheilds.. File, Email, and Web.

If the Web Sheild is on, open firefox... copy and paste doesnt work in Firefox, but does in Chrome and Safari.
If i turn off just the Web Shield, close firefox, and open firefox.. copy and paste works fine, but now my web surfing is unprotected.
I have tried Avast Web Shield with the "scan secure connections off as well to see if it had anything to do with that, it doesnt appear to change anything related to copy and paste.
I also noted that some people are suggesting killing the process pboard, which of course is the pasteboard. This doesn't fix the issue, it breaks Avast hooks into the the pasteboard/ clipboard.. literally breaking the app temporarily. Thus i dont see this as a solution any more than shutting off the web sheild

I have also posted this on the Firefox forums and i am awaiting responses. I have searched alot over the last month to find others with issues. Some of the other posts doent seem to have solutions, just people arguing. Would love to know if this is fixed, or someone found a solution.