Could AVAST please increase the frequency of the updates?

[ady4um]

That's really probably more to do with how long it takes to add the new samples to the database than with how fequently the updates are pushed out.

I think *this* is what the OP is talking about. The request (if I understand correctly) is not so much related to sending the updates to the users more frequently than it is done nowadays (about twice a day). This is off-topic.

The request points to, once Avast Team received the email (or any equivalent / available method to receive the sample), it should take less time to analyze it and add it to the next database update (whenever the next update would be released to users).

*I* personally don't have any real nor statistical comparison, but it seems the OP indeed has (at least for the particular encountered cases).

Since the samples from the chest are sent to Avast during the next update, it could take several hours for those samples to get to the relevant people. Using the email method (zipping and password) "should" be, generally speaking, quicker (though, I don't know which arrivals are checked "first" by Avast Team).

The key, IMHO, would be the difference in time between Avast and other security tools. If we are talking about some hours (next database update after the sample had been sent to Avast Team), fine. If we are talking about days...

[DavidR]

@ Avenger1968
Also we are also talking about/comparing presumably a paid version of AVG and the free version of avast!

I don't recall if it is still the same 1 update per day policy on the avg free version, where on avast! free there is no such restriction.

[Lisandro]

The answer was that such updating would generate way too much bandwidth expenses with very little benefit. That's why the idea was scraped and it will most probably be replaced by a some form of cloud based scanning which will no replace the local scanner but will instead supplement it.

Indeed a cloud scanner won't be bad.

[Avenger1968]

OK, I've just updated the database (1100619-1) and rescanned the chest. Only one has been found positive now. So it has taken 36 hours to add one virus to the database. I think somebody at AVAST should really examine to see what's happening, to see why adding to the database is (in this case) so slow and how to improve these updates. As you can imagine if I had thought that these emails where real (I bet somebody somewhere did!!), I would have had a virus or viruses on the computer for at least 48 hours as I don't expect the next update will be until the morning.

All in all I think AVAST should review their updating.
I have also added other attachments to the chest and have sent them, with the VT links, to AVAST.
The AVG version on my work computer is the free version. The problem seems to be adding the viruses to an update and getting them out into the database.

[Avenger1968]

INFORMATION
For what it's worth, I've just updated AVAST (it says that it's already up to date) 110621-0. I have rescanned the file that I sent to AVAST and it still comes up clean and it is now about 84 hours after being reported by me. I'll write again when it's detected at long last.

[Lisandro]

Avenger1968, if your infection does not occur in the wild, i.e., if it is only you, the sample won't get priority... Remember, avast has 160 million users and receive daily tons of submissions...
But it's ok to wish a faster answer from them...

[ady4um]

From http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=80315.0

INTRODUCING: NEW BETA VERSION OF AVAST - 6.0.1184 :

improved the sample submission process

This doesn't "necessarily" mean that you will receive a faster response with newer Avast versions (it shouldn't be related), but maybe it does .

[Avenger1968]

Detected at last as Win32:Oficla.Cl [Trj]

I think this is in the wild as it came as an email attachment and when I sent it to virustotal, it had already been flagged by 14 AVs.

Anyway alls well that ends well....even if it did take so long!!

[Dch48]

You're getting that many viruses through email? I've only seen one in the past year and none for about two years before that.  Are you really talking about viruses or are they phishing attempts and email scams? Those won't be be detected by anything unless the site they take you to has been blacklisted.

[Gargamel360]

Detected at last as Win32:Oficla.Cl [Trj]

Thanks for taking the time to see it through.