Author Topic: An acknowledgement to the Avast Practical Jokes Department  (Read 3833 times)

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Offline loungehake

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An acknowledgement to the Avast Practical Jokes Department
« on: June 13, 2021, 12:57:23 PM »
The bombardment by 'helpful' Avast messages reaches new heights. These messages seem timed to create maximum distraction just when I am performing on-line banking operations and my concentration needs to be at its most intense. My vulnerability to scams can only be increased by these distractions.

I do not regard VPNs as any more trustworthy than my internet connection through my fibre connection direct through my ISP.  I ensure encryption with the use of HTTPSEverywhere (Encrypt All Sites Eligible is ON) and NoScript is set to block all active contect except on the web pages received through my bank's domain name. My DNS resolver (OpenDNS) is defined for each network connection in each PC.  I logon to an account on my PC  reserved solely for online banking.  The browser configuration on that account is tightly locked down.  Other accounts are inactive (i.e. logged out) during this.

Microsoft is similarly at fault in this.  Its 'helpful' reminders to backup data also seem to timed for maximum distraction.

;D
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Offline bob3160

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Re: An acknowledgement to the Avast Practical Jokes Department
« Reply #1 on: June 13, 2021, 02:36:31 PM »
What messages are you talking about? I've not seen any.
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Offline loungehake

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Re: An acknowledgement to the Avast Practical Jokes Department
« Reply #2 on: June 13, 2021, 03:06:19 PM »
Hi Bob.  I will have to post some screen shots for your delectation.  The messages include warnings of the dangers of the exposure of my IP address, the benefits to privacy of using a VPN, the possible hijacking of my web cam and microphone (the drivers for which are disabled or the web cams unplugged), among other things.  Now that senility is approaching, I need distraction protection too!

I have thought about such hazards over many years and the practices that I have evolved seem to be successful in achieving their objectives. Maybe Avast knows something about my surfings that I don't.

;D
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Offline bob3160

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Re: An acknowledgement to the Avast Practical Jokes Department
« Reply #3 on: June 13, 2021, 03:50:09 PM »
Hi Bob.  I will have to post some screen shots for your delectation.  The messages include warnings of the dangers of the exposure of my IP address, the benefits to privacy of using a VPN, the possible hijacking of my web cam and microphone (the drivers for which are disabled or the web cams unplugged), among other things.  Now that senility is approaching, I need distraction protection too!

I have thought about such hazards over many years and the practices that I have evolved seem to be successful in achieving their objectives. Maybe Avast knows something about my surfings that I don't.

 ;D
Sales pitches. Adjust your settings unless you're using the free version then you may have to put up with those useless and sometimes totally incorrect messages.
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Offline loungehake

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Re: An acknowledgement to the Avast Practical Jokes Department
« Reply #4 on: June 17, 2021, 01:21:54 PM »
Avast reports that EMET552 is slowing my computer (Windows 7 x64).  I use EMET552 to enforce mandatory ASLR because this is how it has to be done with Windows 7.

This is bonkers.
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Offline bob3160

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Re: An acknowledgement to the Avast Practical Jokes Department
« Reply #5 on: June 17, 2021, 01:38:26 PM »
Avast reports that EMET552 is slowing my computer (Windows 7 x64).  I use EMET552 to enforce mandatory ASLR because this is how it has to be done with Windows 7.

This is bonkers.
Not really bonkers. EMET552 is known to slow down Windows 7.
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/ie/en-US/ef778e3e-89f0-4127-aea8-cef59036c480/emet-552-windows-7-sp1-eaf-and-performance-degradation?forum=emet
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Offline loungehake

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Re: An acknowledgement to the Avast Practical Jokes Department
« Reply #6 on: June 17, 2021, 05:53:51 PM »
Thanks Bob.  Apart from mandatory ASLR, all that EMET 5.52 does on my system is to enforce DEP and SEHOP for non-opted-out processes.  No other process mitigations take place.
« Last Edit: June 18, 2021, 11:48:34 AM by loungehake »
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Offline loungehake

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Re: An acknowledgement to the Avast Practical Jokes Department
« Reply #7 on: June 18, 2021, 11:50:27 AM »
Additional thanks Bob.  You set me on a path to eliminate EMET from my Windows 7 system.  It seems that uninstalling EMET 5.52 leaves intact the registry settings associated with mandatory ASLR that were set using EMET.

There is always something new to learn, especially from one more senior and wise than me.

Deep respects  :)
« Last Edit: June 18, 2021, 11:55:47 AM by loungehake »
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Offline bob3160

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Re: An acknowledgement to the Avast Practical Jokes Department
« Reply #8 on: June 18, 2021, 09:59:57 PM »
Additional thanks Bob.  You set me on a path to eliminate EMET from my Windows 7 system.  It seems that uninstalling EMET 5.52 leaves intact the registry settings associated with mandatory ASLR that were set using EMET.

There is always something new to learn, especially from one more senior and wise than me.

Deep respects  :)
Always happy to help. Hope the system is now faster.
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Offline loungehake

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Re: An acknowledgement to the Avast Practical Jokes Department
« Reply #9 on: June 18, 2021, 10:04:06 PM »
Yup! It certainly feels livelier. I am a very grateful for the information you put before me.

It does me no harm to be reminded from time to time that there are many things that I do not know as well as I thought I did.
« Last Edit: June 18, 2021, 10:10:09 PM by loungehake »
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Offline bob3160

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Re: An acknowledgement to the Avast Practical Jokes Department
« Reply #10 on: June 18, 2021, 10:30:26 PM »
Yup! It certainly feels livelier. I am a very grateful for the information you put before me.

It does me no harm to be reminded from time to time that there are many things that I do not know as well as I thought I did.
You aren't alone. Only God knows everything.
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Offline loungehake

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Re: An acknowledgement to the Avast Practical Jokes Department
« Reply #11 on: June 19, 2021, 01:33:29 PM »
Bruce Schneier has written an interesting article on VPNs.
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2021/06/vpns-and-trust.html

Much of the pushing by Avast of its Free users is to do with its VPN.  I choose to rely on browser enforced end to end encryption for my privacy.  It is not possible to be able to totally trust any VPN.  I never use public Wi-Fi, instead using an Android smart phone as a mobile wireless connection point if absolutely necessary.

All this pushing of features caused a friend, whose Windows 10 PC I support, to phone me because she was puzzled that a 'secure browser' had been pushed onto her by Avast.  I said that she had nothing to worry about but asked her if she really wanted to use a different browser from Firegox ESR.  The upshot was that I talked her through uninstalling the unwanted browser.  This episode highlights my concern that Avast is so frenetic in its pushing of 'extras' that it distracts and bamboozles users.  I am not a fan of being suddenly distracted when doing online banking where user vigilance is key.  Even forcing myself to ignore Avast distractions puts me at elevated risk of dropping my guard at a crucial moment.  At my age, memory and concentration are less reliable than they once were.  Now then, what day of the week is it?

All this distraction weakens our vigilance and so also our defences so Avast actually makes us less secure from the dangers of social engineering (which is what the Avast naggings are, kind of).  I am happy to be a beta tester and put up with the adverts, within reason.  Did the Avast 21.5 email problems also affect the paid for versions?  If only the Avast Practical Jokes Department was able to exercise even a modicum of self-control.

Panda Security must have a different business model.  Panda Dome does not feature any 'encouragements' in its free version.
« Last Edit: June 23, 2021, 10:59:08 AM by loungehake »
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Offline loungehake

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Re: An acknowledgement to the Avast Practical Jokes Department
« Reply #12 on: June 24, 2021, 12:44:01 PM »
Be in no doubt that I believe Avast to be the best antimalware software suite, bar none.  The bombardment of Free users by 'feature notifications' and cries of Wolf! tends to tarnish the gleaming reputation that the quality of Avast so richly deserves.  By all means draw our attention to features which we ought to be aware of but please do not weaken our personal alertness against social engineering attempts by criminals.  Personal alertness is the last line of defence against social engineering.

I guess that users of the Free version provide Avast with enormous extra amounts of feedback information with which to further improve the quality of its products.  Users of the Free version likely expose their systems to different risks from business users and so will widen the range of feedback information to Avast.

Free users are guinea pigs and have much to offer Avast both in usage data and in drawing attention to problems because Avast is deeply embedded in systems and so there is great potential for obscure issues which need to be addressed for overall product quality.  We guinea pigs together comprise a vast and valuable resource for Avast.
« Last Edit: June 24, 2021, 12:53:30 PM by loungehake »
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Offline bob3160

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Re: An acknowledgement to the Avast Practical Jokes Department
« Reply #13 on: June 24, 2021, 02:33:03 PM »
Be in no doubt that I believe Avast to be the best antimalware software suite, bar none.  The bombardment of Free users by 'feature notifications' and cries of Wolf! tends to tarnish the gleaming reputation that the quality of Avast so richly deserves.  By all means draw our attention to features which we ought to be aware of but please do not weaken our personal alertness against social engineering attempts by criminals.  Personal alertness is the last line of defence against social engineering.

I guess that users of the Free version provide Avast with enormous extra amounts of feedback information with which to further improve the quality of its products.  Users of the Free version likely expose their systems to different risks from business users and so will widen the range of feedback information to Avast.

Free users are guinea pigs and have much to offer Avast both in usage data and in drawing attention to problems because Avast is deeply embedded in systems and so there is great potential for obscure issues which need to be addressed for overall product quality.  We guinea pigs together comprise a vast and valuable resource for Avast.
Just to clarify, the willing guinea pigs are those of us that run their Beta Software Releases.
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Offline Asyn

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Re: An acknowledgement to the Avast Practical Jokes Department
« Reply #14 on: June 24, 2021, 02:47:09 PM »
Just to clarify, the willing guinea pigs are those of us that run their Beta Software Releases.
+++1 :)
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