Network preferences prevent you from uploading content privately in Mail, OS 12

After the upgrade to mac os 12 emails don’t load properly, this is due, accoding to apple, to the VPN, the problem is that i have the free version of avast with no VPN but the proxy get recognized as such in the network settings, how can i fix this? i want to have apple new privacy setting but still keep avast as antivirus, is there a fix now or an imminent one? I will add that it worked just fine in big sur!

Having the same problem with Apple’s new update to Monterey, while using Avast Premium Security (not the free version). Apple suggested turning off the Email Shield in Avast. That eliminated the problem but of course isn’t a permanent solution.

Hello,
we will investigate this problem. Please if you can, can you send us support package (https://support.avast.com/en-ww/article/Submit-Mac-Security-support-file)?

EDIT: we have found an issue with interoperability of Avast Mail Shield, Apple Mail 15.0 and icloud emails. We have pushed out a temporary workaround, if it is not yet working for you, please run manually Update from the menu. We will fix this cleanly ASAP.
We apologise for the issue.

Kind regards,
Ondrej Kolacek

Hi,

Same problem here (M1 Pro Mac and 12.0.1 Monterey). I installed Avast Security (Free Version) yesterday. Today my emails were not showing the attachments anymore. I tried the link above to send data, but I get the 404 error. In addition, the update in the Avast Menu does not to change the behavior. Is the temp fix in the Virus profiles? These are updated, but not the app as such, which is still showing 15.0.

Regards,

Hello Ondřej,

A temporary workaround that was pushed out, as you mention, seems to have no effect. Since the upgrade to Monterey the Mail app is not uploading the content. Many forums suggest to delete Avast – is that what Avast wants from users? I have a paid version. A fix to this problem would be really welcome.

Not working for me either. i’m having to log on to iCloud to read my messages. Only had a subscription for a few weeks. Disappointed that it is taking so long to sort this out when the company must have had the beta version of Monterey for several months. :frowning:

Any update on this matter? Still not working. With e-mails from other providers you can download the content with the “Load Content Directly” button" on top of the individual mail. This does not work for iCloud email addresses though. These are not loaded at all. Although you can see them in a Webbrowser you cannot file them correctly on your Mac as there will be no content that could be stored …

Hello,
Latest version of Avast does not interfere with icloud in any way. We can not reproduce your issues. Please ensure that you have the latest version by manually updating Avast, ideally restart your mail client afterwards. If the issue persists, please contact our support.
Kind regards,
Ondrej Kolacek

Ok, I will contact support then. I uninstalled Avast Antivirus and reinstalled it, tried with Avast One as well. Restarted the Mac each time. Both interfere. When Avast is turned off everything works fine in email. It seems that the Web Shield is blocking the connection to the server which is used for “Protect Mail Activity” setting in Apple Mail.

Did support manage to sort this out? I too still have the issue of email images not loading on Apple Mail with Protect Mail Activity active and Web Shield on. I’m on Monterey 12.0.1 and the latest Avast One

Hello,

it seems that the issue is caused by the unfortunate way how iCloud Private Relay feature Apple has added to MacOS Monterey is implemented.

The workaround is to go to Mail → Preferences → Privacy and disable both “Protect Mail Activity” and “Hide IP Address”. Or you have to click on “Load Content Directly” on the top of the email for every email. Or disable Avast Web Shield.

Detailed description:
In MacOS Big Sur, Apple has discontinued kernel extensions for implementing network filters, like Avast Web Shield or Avast Mail Shield; instead a new mechanism (Network Extension framework of System Extension functionality) was added. The Network Extension framework allows multiple vendors to add their own security and privacy specific filters to the same connections on the same machine, thus allowing coexistence and cooperation of such 3rd party products.

Unfortunately, Apple has decided to not use this functionality in their Monterey implementation of Private Relay functionality and to make it mutually exclusive with Network Extension based extensions - a very unfriendly and anti-competitive thing to do.

What is going on: In case a mail contains HTML mail body, Apple’s Mail app uses HTTP(S) to load various elements (like pictures). Avast’s Web Shield component is registered in Network Extension to be notified about all HTTP(S) connections; for web browsers, it processes such connections transparently; for other connections (including those from Apple Mail) it tells Network Extension: “I am not interested, pass the connection through”. Unfortunately, the mere fact that Network Extension is configured to be notified about HTTP(S) connections causes Private Relay to be disabled even for those it does not actually process.

Apple Mail detects that the connection did not go through Private Relay, and displays the following line on the top of the mail: “Your network preferences prevent content from loading privately.” and a button “Load Content Directly”.

Please note that this issue is not unique to Avast; this is unavoidable if MacOS decides to not pass the connection through Private Relay. It is also not connected with scanning of emails per se, rather it is simply a “messaging issue” by Apple Mail. We are not yet 100% sure about all the details when this happens.

We have filed multiple reports to Apple, asking them to allow coexistence of 3rd parties with their own solutions, as well as asking them to fix this issue somehow. We have also used our direct channel to notify them about the issue.

We are currently analysing what else we can do, as this state is awful. We apologise deeply for the issues; however there is currently no good solution to this.

Kind regards,
Ondrej Kolacek

I understand that this is work in progress and I hope that it could be resolved with the upcoming macOS Monterey 12.1 release. In the meantime, I just wanted to share an interesting workaround I found. Maybe the developers have more insight on this. Yesterday, I installed a popular Security Software called Lulu by Objective-See which monitors network activity (just search the web you will find it easily). Since installing it, Apple Mail works as expected. The attachments load and the Private Relay (Beta) as well as Avast seem to be active. I double checked with Lulu deactivated and the attachments need to be loaded manually as before. I am no IT expert so I cannot comment on the technical implications. You may just give it a try.

Hi Ondrej, do you have any news about if there is likely to be a solution or workaround for this issue? Thanks

Their technical support knows about the issue, they have reproduced it, and reported it. But unfortunately there is no way to know if/when they are going to do something.

Thanks for getting back, I was just checking in case there was something new regarding this since last time.

I tried installing Lulu and it does work as mountainview mentions. But in my case It works until restart, then I have to deactivate Lulu, activate it again, go to settings to let Security & Privacy load the extension, and then emails load correctly again. Which is not ideal either.
Maybe (hopefully) the MacOS 13 update will fix things? Fingers crossed