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Shoot, just when I mistakenly thought things might get better! It would seem that what is needed is for most, if not all, ip traffic to be https: once the issues are worked out with security certificates.
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mchain
For me that would be the worst possible security choice, as the Web Shield doesn't monitor HTTPS traffic; so wouldn't provide the same level of protection that it is very good at on HTTP traffic. Blocking malware at source, sniffing out exploits and hacked sites, this happens to lots of sites and just because you are using an HTTPS connection doesn't stop that.
You only need to take a browse round the viruses and worms forum to see just how beneficial its protection is. Many people only find out their site has been hacked after avast users tell them or if they come to the forums to report what they consider a false positive only to find the detection is good.
Be careful what you wish for 
DavidR,
There is much I do not know. This fact re WebShield was unknown to me. Perhaps, when seen in the light of what you say, then, it is best to leave things as they are; but we also need to maintain and keep our awareness of exploits designed to hurt and cripple those who mean no harm to others.
Among all the other activities we do, this one, use of the Internet, is in but a smaller realm, but has become essential to, and is in part of, our structure of our modern world. If we lose control of that, then our future may be not as easily foreseeable as it may be now.
Few may agree with my assessment; it is, however, meant in all sincerity.
Perhaps Avast! could monitor HTTPS traffic as well if need be. That, I think, was an implied point in what I was trying to say, although it was never specifically directed towards Avast!. I am sorry I did not make this clear; I was not aware of, and did not know of, some of the basic structures upon which the Internet is built upon. I did not know Avast! did not monitor HTTPS traffic, for example.
What I wish for is something better than we now have. I think the need is to find a way to
prevent exploitative behavior in the first place. How to do this I cannot say.
If I wanted to learn how, and I do, I think here in this forum would be an excellent place to begin.
mchain
XP Home Edition SP3 2GB RAM Avast! 6.0.1203
