Hi
I write with a cautionary tale for others.
I have used Avast for something like 15 years and (mostly) been very pleased with it, because what you don't know, won't disrupt that pleasure. In that time, it allowed in one very nasty rootkit which was a mother to get rid of, so overall you would want to forgive it one slip. We're all human. However what I discovered today is the deal breaker. I discovered that I had not one, but two trojans on my machine, working away furiously and blissfully undetected. Looking at my backups, I've been host to them for at least 2 years - my backups don't go back any further than that. With the computer on most days and an up to date Avast running, it absolutely did not find them. To share the blame a little, neither did Malwarebytes, but that's another story.
The identity of the two trojans are:
Tonick.gen
Tiggre!plock
How I found them.
I had frequently read it said that it's bad practice to have 2 antivirus programs running on the same PC (mine is Windows 10, by the way - and yes, all updated constantly). The advice was that if you use Avast you should disable Windows Defender. So long story short, I did the experiment of switching Defender back on and running a deep scan. That's what found these trojans and that's what removed them. Avast; null points.
So sadly, but pragmatically, today is the day I bid a sentimental fairwell to Avast and switch to Bitdefender. They come top in several contemporary (that's the key word), reputable reviews that are backed by lab tests, and to sweeten the deal there's a fat discount on offer, currently, for up to three machines. So, be warned. Complacent confidence in your virus protection is a great drug, soothing and soporific, which is exactly what the hackers need you to feel.
Au revoir, Avast.