Avast Free Blocking VPN (PIA)

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

Hi All -
Been using Avast Free for many years (never any issues) and last night, I received a prompt and it is now blocking my VPN (Private Internet Access), and it won’t allow it to connect. Never had this issue before. Any suggestions so I can still use my VPN and have Avast running in the background. I’ve done some preliminary googles searches and its suggesting everything from removing Avast entritly to updating it (which it is).
Any suggestions?
running a Windows 10 (Home) 64-bit, Avast Free Antivirus 22.1.2504
My VPN (PIA) wont connect to the internet.
Thanks In advance
(and please direct me to a different thread in not in the correct place). Thanks!

2

Did you happen to grab a screenshot of the prompt or the VPN wont connect ?

I use Avast Free Antivirus and I haven’t installed the Firewall component, the Win10 firewall has been fine for me for over 4 years of using this system.

That said, I’m not sure of the settings available in the firewall component in Avast Free, but if it is the same as the Firewall in Avast Premium, etc. Have you set it to Private or Public network, as public has in the past (if memory serves me well) prevented VPN connections.

3

Hi,

If the prompt you received was from Avast, apart from settings your network to Private/Trusted:
Open “Menu” > Settings > General > “Blocked and Allowed apps” and see if the VPN client app is blocked.
Also, in “Settings” > Protection > Firewall > View Firewall rules > Application Rules > MORE > Filter Rules > search for “VPN” and see if your VPN is blocked.

4

Hi,
I was able to use PIA this morning with avast premium 22.2.
Maybe add PIA to the avast exception list?
(My PIA network in avast firewall is set to “public”.)

5

Thanks folks. I will try that.
I wasn’t able to get a screen shot. I just noticed an Avast promote that it blocked a site (I sometimes see those and Close them) but it caught my eye in the text of the prompt that it was PIA that it was blocking and then when I tried to launch PIA…it wouldn’t connect.
Thanks!

6

Ok…I think I have it sorted…
With respect to the comments above:

  1. I checked the Blocked Apps…nothing was listed there (so it wasn’t blocked)
  2. I checked the Firewall - and it turns out there is no Firewall installed (so I guess that wasn’t it).
  3. I added PIA to the “Exceptions” and tried to run it…but that didn’t work…

I dug around, and found in Protection and under Quartine, it was listed there:
Threat: IDP.Generic
Infected File: pia-openvpn.exe

No idea why it ended up there, but I removed it and it worked…

I trust that its not a threat or infected file?!

Thanks again!

7

Without actually sending it to Avast as a possible false positive, who knows.

Report a false positive (select file or website)
https://www.avast.com/false-positive-file-form.php

8

For info my “pia-openvpn.exe” is not recognised as a threat by avast
file v 2.4.9.0 — August 25, 2020 ---- 820 ko

9

Do you think I should un-install Avast and reinstall it just to check?

As well…I have two computers at my house, both running Windows 10 and PIA and Avast Free Antivirus.

Only one of them picked up PIA and a threat and blocked it. Should I be concerned? Any thoughts as to my next step?

Thanks in advance.

10

Your first port of call would be to confirm that the two versions of PIA are the same as chris… is implying.

If they are the same version, ensure that both installations of Avast have up to date virus definitions and the version and build numbers are the same.

I don’t believe uninstalling Avast is the way forward, sledge hammer to crack a nut and it may not make any difference. First check out the above points.