avast free 11.1.2245 and XP Pro SP3 - internet connection issues.

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

I have started to get issues whilst browsing, frequently this is on uk.yahoo.com and the forums.avast sites, but isn’t limited to them, but any that I happen to be browsing.

Some time ago I reported issues where the HTTPS had to be disabled and the web shield stopped (and then restarted) to over connection issues. This, however seems to be an extension of that and it doesn’t just effect browsing now I have found that this connection issue includes email connections.

If I experience web browsing connection issues, I have started trying to check for email (using MailWasher) and this comes up with unable to connect issues.

I’m undecided as to exactly what this is given that email and web browsing relates to the use of HTTPS scanning/redirects (email) and why this would effectively happen on all internet connections.

Currently I disable shields for 10 minutes - then try to connect to those sites/email connections whilst the shields are down, generally this also fails - which is strange if the shields are disabled.

I then enable all shields again and try again to reload the pages/email check, often that fails first time given a little more time (WSC by this time is now reporting AV is ON) only after this does it start working again. This happens several times during the day.

My firewall is Outpost Firewall Pro 9.2 which I have been using longer than avast (over eleven and a half years) and have never experienced this kind of connection issue before.

2

You’re more experience than most of us in these matters David so I cant offer much than to suggest upgrading your firewall to 9.3 http://www.agnitum.com/support/kb/article.php?id=1000215&lang=en

3

I have just been digging around in Outpost Pro as I have seen some local network IP being blocked - I haven’t seen this as an issue previously as I have IP (Attack Detection) blocking set to block for 5 minutes.

Significantly I have also seen this IP address in the in the Network Threat Scan (when we saw issues with the network scan), I captured an image of it as I thought that this might also relate to the local network IP blocking in Outpost.

Strange I’ve not had my program update notification for Outpost Pro (Lifetime License).

I had just got the browsing issue again, this time I tried disabling the firewall and that seemed to resolve it. I then enabled it again.

Looks like there is something in avast (possibly this Home Network Threat function) that Outpost may be taking as suspicious and blocking it for 5 minutes. I just don’t know what they network threat function actually does (outside of when we run the scan) I have added that IP in Outpost and will see how it goes.