Newsletter Archives

• Avast fixes bug that made the June cumulative updates block many programs

  Posted on June 14, 2020 at 08:01 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Microsoft has officially acknowledged that Avast (one of my least-favorite Windows programs) has plugged a bug that caused many different Windows programs to fail to launch. Per the official Release Information Status page:

  Error when attempting to open any Microsoft Office application

  We have received reports that some users are unable to open apps after installing KB4557957, especially Microsoft Office apps. Affected users might also receive an error, such as, ‘Windows cannot find “c:\program files\microsoft office\root\office16\winword.exe” Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again.’

  Affected platforms:

  Client: Windows 10, version 2004; Windows 10, version 1909; Windows 10, version 1903
  Server: Windows Server, version 2004; Windows Server, version 1909; Windows Server, version 1903

  Resolution: This issue has been resolved by Avast. This issue only affected devices with certain versions of Avast or AVG applications and was addressed with an update to their respective products. For more information on this, please see Avast’s forum post here. Note No update is needed for Windows or Microsoft Office to address this issue.

  In fact, as Lawrence Abrams reports on BleepingComputer:

  A component of the AVG/Avast security software causes Image File Execution Options registry entries to be created for various applications that would launch applications through a filter that points to C:\Program Files (x86)\AVAST Software\Avast Cleanup\autoreactivator.exe.

  A recent update broke something in this filter that was causing the programs to not launch.

  I know, I know. People love their antivirus programs. I continue to use, and recommend, Microsoft’s Windows Defender. It’s effective, reliable and free.

  Antivirus Apps, Windows Patches/Security Avast

• Avast, caught selling users’ private data, will shut down the division that’s selling the data

  Posted on January 30, 2020 at 09:16 CST by woody • Comment in the Forums

  So what do you do when your company’s caught selling the surfing data from its “Free” antivirus product?

  You shut down the division that sells the data, of course.

  Charlie Osborne on ZDNet:

  Avast is winding down its subsidiary Jumpshot following an explosive investigation into the sale of user data to third parties that may pose a risk to consumer privacy.

  On Thursday, the antivirus vendor said the unit will no longer have access to user information harvested from users of Avast products and services will eventually be fully terminated…

  Jumpshot reportedly has access to information from over 100 million devices; or rather, once did.

  Antivirus Apps Avast

• Enormous trove of Avast-gathered data being sold

  Posted on January 27, 2020 at 09:18 CST by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Joseph Cox at Vice/Motherboard just published an eye-opener:

  Leaked Documents Expose the Secretive Market for Your Web Browsing Data

  An Avast antivirus subsidiary sells ‘Every search. Every click. Every buy. On every site.’ Its clients have included Home Depot, Google, Microsoft, Pepsi, and McKinsey.

  Our report relies on leaked user data, contracts, and other company documents that show the sale of this data is both highly sensitive and is in many cases supposed to remain confidential between the company selling the data and the clients purchasing it.

  Looks like PCMag.com joined in the investigation.

  Are you using Avast Free?

  Antivirus Apps Avast

• Avast snooping gets called out by Firefox

  Posted on December 3, 2019 at 07:25 CST by woody • Comment in the Forums

  And for good reason.

  Martin Brinkmann reports:

  If you search for Avast or AVG on the official Mozilla Add-ons website, you may notice that no results by these companies are returned. Neither Avast Online Security or SafePrice… are returned by the Store currently even though these extensions exist. It appears that Mozilla removed these extensions from its Store.

  He goes on to quote a security researcher (the creator of AdBlock Plus) who determined two months ago that Avast snoops like crazy:

  The data collected here goes far beyond merely exposing the sites that you visit and your search history. Tracking tab and window identifiers as well as your actions allows Avast to create a nearly precise reconstruction of your browsing behavior: how many tabs do you have open, what websites do you visit and when, how much time do you spend reading/watching the contents, what do you click there and when do you switch to another tab. All that is connected to a number of attributes allowing Avast to recognize you reliably, even a unique user identifier.

  Back in August, @satrow observed:

  They’ve been interfering with browser HTTPS connections for almost 5 years now.

  Seems like the chickens have come home to roost.

  Brinkmann says Avast extensions are still available in Chrome – but I can’t find any.

  (By the by… Avast owns AVG. Avast bought a majority stake in AVG more than three years ago. The products are similar, but not identical. Wouldn’t surprise me a bit if AVG were up to similar shenanigans.)

  Antivirus Apps Avast

• Did Firefox suddenly forget all of your passwords? Blame Avast. Again

  Posted on June 14, 2019 at 19:06 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  If Firefox suddenly forgot all of your passwords in the past day or so, blame Avast.

  It looks like Avast Antivirus and AVG Antivirus are both blocking the file that Firefox uses to store passwords. Your passwords are still there. You just need a new version of Avast or AVG.

  Martin Brinkmann has the details on ghacks:

  Firefox, just like any other modern browser, supports the saving of authentication information to improve the sign-in process on websites. Instead of having to enter the passwords manually each time they are requested, Firefox would provide the password when needed.

  Firefox saves the data in the file logins.json in the Firefox profile folder.

  Reports suggest that Avast and AVG security applications cause the issue for Firefox users. It appears that the software programs somehow corrupt the login.json file so that Firefox cannot read it anymore.

  Lawrence Abrams on BleepingComputer has the inside story:

  In a Mozilla bug post about this issue, Lukáš Rypáček, an engineering director at Avast, explained that the AVG Password Protection program will block a process’ access to saved logins unless the process is signed by a known and valid Firefox certificate. As Mozilla had issued a new certificate on 5/31/2019 and signed Firefox 67.0.2 with it, but AVG had not included it in the AVG Password Protection program, the Firefox processes were being blocked.

  Apparently Avast has released updates to fix the problem.

  Freeware Avast, AVG, Firefox

• Avast says Microsoft to blame for the Win10 1803 upgrade bluescreens and non-sensical boot loop options

  Posted on May 25, 2018 at 12:53 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Avast has released a new version of their antivirus software and, in a carefully worded explanation, take a jab at Microsoft’s botched Win10 1803 installer.

  Computerworld Woody on Windows.

  Windows Patches/Security Avast, Win10 1803 bugs

• Microsoft may be dodging coerced Win10 1803 upgrades on machines running Avast

  Posted on May 23, 2018 at 12:27 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Although the proclamation doesn’t come from official sources, a mod on the Avast forum says MS has stopped 1803 upgrades on machines running Avast antivirus.

  Which may be a good reason to install Avast, eh?

  Computerworld Woody on Windows.

  Windows Patches/Security Avast, Win10 1803, Win10 1803 bugs

• Avast and AVG blamed for bad Win10 version 1803 upgrades

  Posted on May 22, 2018 at 04:11 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  On Reddit, ugcm says:

  Multiple users between Sunday, May 20 and Monday, May 21 have reported receiving a request to “restart and install updates” in Windows 10. This update appears to be the Windows 10 April 2018 update, also known as “1803”. Upon restarting, the computer boots to a blue screen asking the user to choose a keyboard language. After doing so, they are taken to another blue screen with three options to continue “booting” to:

  Windows Rollback

  Windows 10 on Volume [x]

  Windows 10 on Volume [x]

  The lower two options are identical.

  If the user chooses the top option, the computer will restart. If the user chooses either of the latter two options, Windows will appear to boot, but end up on a blank, black desktop with no icons, and an error message that the Desktop file could not be accessed.

  Following, there’s the usual Reddit tirade about Avast, AVG, Win10, 1803, and the phase of the moon. But it sounds like they’re on to a real, live problem.

  Anybody else seeing this?

  Windows Patches/Security Avast, AVG, Win10 1803
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