At 8:20pm Pacific on Wed, I updated my automatic dialer software program ‘Gravis Easy Phone’ but Avast detected it as a false positive threat:
Object: C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\Apps..\Gep8.exe
Infection: IDP Generic
‘Threat was detected and blocked just before the attack.’
The detection is from Avast! Behaviour shield that monitors for malware like behaviour.
So necessarly the app did something identical to malware that triggered this.And since IDP Didn’t prompt you for action means it had a high accuracy for the file being bad.
I will try and get someone from Avast! To take a look.
TrueIndian:
I updated my automatic dialer software ‘Gravis Easy Phone’ but Avast detected it as a threat.
I went into the Virus Vault, selected Gep8.exe, and right-clicked ‘Restore and add excursion’ but it is still in the Virus Vault.
After signing into the software, Windows firewall blocked it so I gave permission to allow access.
Does restoring it keep a copy in the Virus Vault (and it has to be deleted manually) or is the Virus Vault supposed to empty when a file is restored?
Yes it restores and saves a copy in the chest.This may actually not be a fp since it was caught via behaviour.Its better off not adding it to exclusion since we don’t want to infect the system if it is bad by any chance.
TrueIndian:
Every time there is a software update for Gravis EasyPhone, Avast detects it as a threat but it is a legitimate update so it ‘is’ a false positive.
I already ‘restored it and added it as an exclusion’ so that it is not recognized as a threat again.
What I am asking: Since Avast saves a copy in the Virus Vault even after restoring it, should I delete it manually from the Virus Vault?
Yes you can.
Also,can you upload the detected file to www.virustotal.com and post the link to the results here please.
It will give us a clear view of the file. 
Gep8.exe is the file and here is more info on it: https://www.reasoncoresecurity.com/gep8.exe-d4f9056e945705d9644fe9ad436b8f45bc8d37ed.aspx:
*Since my software update is always named Gep8.exe: By selecting ‘Restore and Add Exclusion,’ will Avast recognize it as a threat again the next time it is updated or will Avast ignore future updates as a threat because Gep8.exe has been excluded from being detected?
No once added to exclusions will not be monitored or detected.Sorry but you need to upload the file here:
www.virustotal.com
and post the results here and I already saw the website link you posted.I google searched it.
Thanks for your assistance.
I ‘know’ that the file is legit because GEP8=Gravis Easy Phone Version 8.
I access the software through the desktop shortcut icon not an .exe file. I checked the Gravis Folder but it only the Setup file is listed and Windows Search did not detect Gep8.exe
I just ran a full virus scan and no threats were detected.
Hi,
If you access the file via shortcut, right click the shortcut, select Properties and look at the “Target” field. That is the path to the file that needs to be sent to us, either directly, or if you upload it to virustotal, we will know which file it is.
Gep8 is not listed in Properties or in the Windows Explorer ‘Gravis’ directory.
When Avast detected the threat, the Object was: C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\Apps..\Gep8.exe so I found it that way
Do I email it to Avast at ‘submit@virus.avast.com with the subject line Undetected Malware’ or upload it at Virus Total and click ‘Scan It?’
I suggest you upload to VT
I am uploading it to Virus Total now.
Please provide me with an update once there is one.
Post the link to the scan results here once it finishes analysing.
Link to Virus Total Summary: https://virustotal.com/en/file/80e2673f2989a3b81df5ab12a2ac9e1d9f0e1c77ad4eb342895af5bd3eddf2ee/analysis/1487835120/
*Keep in mind that Avast does not detect it because I ‘Restored and Added Exclusion’ earlier, remember?
You are correct, but for a wrong reason Avast does not seem to detect it in VT, but this is not because someone added it to exclusions; it is because virustotal does not run the file (and therefore does not scan it with behavioral shield).
I added the file to our cleanset, along with 31 other files signed with the same digital signature.
I also marked the digital signature as clean, which means IDP detection will never be triggered on files signed by this signature in the future.
HondzaZ:
To be clear then, Gep8.exe is clean but detected as a false positive-Correct?
The ‘31 other files with the same digital signature’-What do you mean by that and who uploaded them?
Was I correct to ‘Restore and Add It As An Exclusion’ earlier? I was aware that it was a false positive because Avast recognizes it as a threat every tine the software is updated.
Correct. The file is clean, and was mistakenly detected due to suspicious activity.
When I queried our database of files for the signature, I found 32 files total - one of them was the file you uploaded, the rest we got mostly from other people.
Thios is new to me so I would appreciate the following clarifications:
'The file was mistakenly detected due to suspicious activity-Do you mean that Avast mistakenly detected it as suspicious?
What would cause the file to be mistakenly detected due to suspicious activity when it is a legitimate program?
Were the 31 other files the same file that I uploaded or did 31 others upload potentially suspicious files at the same time as I did?
Was I correct to ‘Restore and Add It As An Exclusion’ earlier? I was aware that it was a false positive because Avast recognizes it as a threat every tine the software is updated.
Some (even legitimate) programs explicit suspicious behaviour. And we at Avast are better safe then sorry, if it is “too suspicious”, we rather block it than let our users be infected. Furthermore, how do you define “legitimate program”? How do we know it is “legitimate” if we have no info about it?
There were 31 other files signed with the same digital signature. Not necessarily with the same filename, not necessarily submitted at the same time. Some might have arrived a year ago, for example.
Again, yes, but for a wrong reason. There are many malicious files (viruses, even) that update themselves. Just the fact that something “updates itself” doesn’t mean it is clean!