my personnal development has been erased by Avast !

[cderenne]

Hi I'm a French pro developper.
I also develop software for my personal needs.
But avast finds false positives in my executables and deletes my programs !!!

I must always think of putting an exception in the analysis of Avast to avoid this.

It is not acceptable even for a free anti-virus.

I provide the source codes of my personal programs deleted by Avast, you will see that they are not viruses at all. You can open it with notepad, this is a Pascal source code.


This means that Avast does not scan the executable; it compares it to a list of "authorized" programs. Well done !

[Asyn]

As you're a developer, read here...

-> https://support.avast.com/article/229/
-> https://support.avast.com/article/228/

[cderenne]

Thanks, i've just submit my exe file.
That confirms what I've said : Avast dos not scan exe file : it compares files with a white/black list !
But for me it's not the better solution.
I would prefer a real scan by Avast client with a real result.

I add that the verification picture (at the bottom of this forum form) is very small.
I am only 47 years old and I had to ajust my zoom browser to see it.

[DavidR]

It does scan .exe files, but exe files, but they may also be checked/validated by whitelist/digital signing of your software. 

You have essentially confirmed this:

I also develop software for my personal needs.
But avast finds false positives in my executables and deletes my programs !!!

So it must have been scanning, your files as there would have been no whitelist record

Vendors who sign their applications with digital signatures can apply for whitelisting via their digital signature. This type of whitelisting is provided to a limited number of digital signatures, and only if the software developer has a clean track record.

Avast reserves the right to refuse to whitelist any application.

This is what the developer needs to do digitally sign the files and get that digital signature whitelisted, otherwise any alert is scan based.

The Captcha is an anti spam measure, but it is only there for your first 3 posts.

[cderenne]

Hi,
Ultimately  I can understand digital signature for commercial software
But for a free utility developped for a school on my free-time .......
Why this school or me will have to pay a digital signature ?
This is no sens

[DavidR]

You are not forced to pay for a digital signature, but then you have more hoops to jump through.

As you have seen avast scans all files not just looking up whitelists.  For each new program you create it is the first time in the wild so to speak so there will be little history of other avast users having run it.  You never said what avast alert was given (?), so I can't really offer any detailed advice on why the alert may have occurred. 

If when compiled, you can run your program and see if Avast alerts on it and what alert message given, etc.  You can also set up your Avast Settings on what to do when a detection happens (Deletion shouldn't be a first option).  I have mine set to ASK, or you can have it sent to the virus chest, from here it can also be sent to Avast as a possible false positive.

Or you could submit it as a false positive detection - Reporting Possible False Positive File or Website - https://www.avast.com/false-positive-file-form.php.

Avast is in the business of protecting its users, whilst also trying to help software developers.

[cderenne]

OK but I suppose that each Anti-Virus Software gets his own white list.
So, I have to ask for each Anti-Virus ??
If so what a lost of time for some softwares that I've made and used by some friends.

[DavidR]

OK but I suppose that each Anti-Virus Software gets his own white list.
So, I have to ask for each Anti-Virus ??
If so what a lost of time for some softwares that I've made and used by some friends.

Unfortunately yes, but if you had a digital signature this process wouldn't be as onerous.

It rather depends on A) the antivirus they have installed and what settings they have for detections.  Personally I don't like Automatic actions, but Avast doesn't delete as a First action and my final action would be to send to the Virus Chest.  That way there is time for  user to investigate, submit for analysis or restore and add an exclusion (at their own risk).

[Claudiu7]

OK but I suppose that each Anti-Virus Software gets his own white list.
So, I have to ask for each Anti-Virus ??
If so what a lost of time for some softwares that I've made and used by some friends.

So why exactly you complicate your life with Avast! when you can simply use Windows Defender (100% detection rate in AV Comparatives) and trouble free....

[DavidR]

OK but I suppose that each Anti-Virus Software gets his own white list.
So, I have to ask for each Anti-Virus ??
If so what a lost of time for some softwares that I've made and used by some friends.

So why exactly you complicate your life with Avast! when you can simply use Windows Defender (100% detection rate in AV Comparatives) and trouble free....

It wouldn't matter a damn what AV he uses, it is Avast detecting his software (on other users systems) and that won't stop simply because he isn't using Avast.

I suggest reading the whole topic before jumping with both feet.