IPv6 Settings for Avast! AV Free v7.0 - Mac, OS X Lion 10.7.5

Avast Mac Security
1

Hello, Avast! -

  1. In OS X Lion, there is a System Preferences app that resembles (to some degree) the Control Panel of Windows, and it presents an item represented by the Avast! icon, after Avast! AV Free has been installed. The said item opens a dialogbox entitled, Avast! Preferences. In this box Avast! Preferences, there are two (2) settings labelled “Enable IPv6.” One is found in Avast! Preferences>Shields>Mail Shield>Advanced…>General tab. The other is found in Avast! Preferences>Shields>Web Shield>Advanced…>General tab.
    FYI: for this user, his Network Preferences dialog shows that his ethernet LAN and his (separate, wireless) WLAN have been configured in the Netgear type N300 router to obtain IPv4 via DHCP, and that there are both an IPv4 address assigned for this client Mac and an IPv4 address for each LAN’s gateway and DNS. No WINS Server is assigned. The Proxies panel is set to Passive FTP and Auto Proxy Discovery, but there is no proxy configuration data file designated, so this user estimates that no proxy is in use, presently. The Internet access for these LANs is via cable modem from Comcast.

    The Network Preferences dialog also has a few items for IPv6 in the Advanced…>TCP/IP panel. “Configure IPv6” is set to “Automatically,” but the Router:, IPv6 Address:, and Prefix Length: settings are left blank.
    Please advise - For each of these two “Enable IPv6” settings in Avast! Preferences, what happens?
    What are the effects of these settings?
    What advantages and disadvantages accrue to the user who sets these to the Enabled state?
    And conversely, what if each checkbox be left un-checked?
    Please describe specifically the differences in security vulnerabilities for each Enable IPv6 setting, whether each is Enabled, or Disabled.
    Default seems to be, not enabled. Please advise if Avast! has any recommended settings.

Sincerely, from your new user,

Falling Rock

2

Hello,
these settings control, if IPv6 traffic is scanned with the avast! web shield/mail shield. They have no effect on network settings.

If the checkboxes are enabled, your computer is better secured. On the other hand, if a network you are connected to doesn’t handle IPv6 properly, enabling the chechboxes prohibits your web browser/mail client to fallback to IPv4 (web shield/mail shield act as a transparent proxy).

The recommended approach is to enable the settings and if you would experience issues with a browser/mail client, disable them back.

Martin

3

Thank you, Mr. Krahulic. I have enabled both of my IPv6 items, as you recommended. If you (or anyone in this forum) has any better understanding than I, of the ways that the Network Prefs settings for IPv6/IPv4 interact with the security performance, I would be glad to learn more from you.