extracted from wilders forum about AVAST FREE pop-ups:
Originally Posted by EdP
This leads to another question ....
Avast moved the offending file to the Chest, but it never indicated that it cleaned up what the offending file did. How do I know if it removed the effects of the file's execution so I can determine what, if any, further actions to take?
That's the risk you take with the clean up after the fact approach, as opposed to catching it before it executes... I personally never trust ANY software to clean up a virus or malware. I always restore an image to be sure.
Although I can't say for sure, my guess is that it didn't do any further cleanup other than to remove the offending file. Some AVs do, and some don't. You might ask at the Avast forum for clarification if nobody here knows for sure..
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If it ain't broke, you haven't tweaked it enough...
I haven't catched this one. Once it is in the chest the malware can do no harm. What it has done before if it has been executed is AV-independent I think. But how can we guess what this malware changed in our system, then?
Well, this kinda gets to a basic theme that I have been trying to put forward here. It is good that the AV software
catches things, but it is up to the operator to investigate.
Again, google, google, google. Look up the file name. If it was moved to the chest, then there is a file name. Plug it into google. See what info pops up. Read about it. You may find the very answers you seek. It might lead you where to look and what to look for. By doing this, one gets a better understanding of their system.
Ok, soap box done.