Does Avast have any protection from things that try and change the HOST file or is there anyway of keeping the HOST file safe from viruses?
Reason I ask is that my firewall Comodo has started saying that it has prevented HOST attacks so it got me wondering if this is enough protection?
Shortly, it does not have. Are you using the beta version 3 of Comodo?
You can use WinPatrol or SpyBot to do so.
I’m using v2.4, if it doesn’t protect the HOST file then isn’t that a hole in its security?
Not a hole… not any software should protect (or even can protect) from everything.
Maybe, in your opinion, a lack of some feature.
avast does not protect it either… Try WinPatrol 8)
But wouldn’t an attack to reach the HOST file be detected by its rules anyway (as an invasion of privacy) and block the intrusion and likewise for avast, if a virus was released that attacked the HOST file then wouldn’t a new signature detect it before it could run???
HOSTS file is “inert”, like a text file, avast will scan it and won’t find anything there.
So you must a file monitor (different from antivirus) and so I’ve suggested two of them…
Can you post an screenshot of one of those messages?