New to avast...help me understand safe zone

system · 2014-03-03T09:23:10.000Z

Hello,

I am new to avast and I am considering purchasing it after reading that it’s won quite a few awards.

I’ve downloaded the software and it’s been running on my system for a few days. I have used windows for the last 10 years without antivirus software because I never found them to be useful. I’ve never gotten a virus and only once or twice have I fallen victim to a piece of malware software which I’ve always successfully uninstalled using a quick tool downloaded free from the internet. (hijack this, malware bytes, etc.)

The reason why I have recently installed an internet security suite is because I have started to play around with bitcoin and buying and selling shares and stocks on different exchange sites. (Not Mt. Gox thank goodness)

So after a few days of running avast, updating software, scanning my computer and having the little avast plug-in in my chrome browser tell me “…this site has a good rating” I found a shortcut on my desktop called “Safe Zone”

I opened it and it reminded me of any antivirus software that I used 10 years ago…slow, sluggish, and sometimes unresponsive. Now my question and concern is this: Why safe zone? Why should I have to run safe zone to surf the net, shop, trade crypto currencies, etc? Why doesn’t the avast software just make my browser a safe surfing zone without having to open this separate interface?

I really find it a bother. I usually bounce between spreadsheets and notepads and my chrome browser using ALT-TAB and this doesn’t work in safe zone. I attempted to use the “Bookmark New Application” button to add my spreadsheets, and the excel icon appears but does not respond.

I guess what I want to know is…If I don’t surf the web in safe zone…Are you telling me that a malicious key-logger tool can still be monitoring me on my regular chrome browser, even though I have avast internet security running, and it says “Everything is Good”???

Please advise,
Thanks,
Jeff.

Pondus · 2014-03-03T09:49:16.000Z

See www.avast.com > support > FAQ … search for safesone

system · 2014-03-03T10:31:40.000Z

You’re kidding me right?

I guess there’s always someone who replies with this kind of zero content.

I read as much about safe zone on the avast support site as I could before posting this. Did you even read my entire post?

What’s the frikkin point of having the avast “Internet Security” suite installed if the only way to be sure you don’t have a key-logger on your sys is by using an entirely different desktop? Why the heck can’t safezone just be a plug-in to chrome?

I will investigate other antivirus software if you are telling me I am subject to spyware and keyloggers WITH AVAST RUNNING in my taskbar telling me EVERYTHING IS GOOD.

system · 2014-03-03T10:34:22.000Z

Basically…

why can’t I … “…be sure that [my] personal data cannot be monitored by spyware or key-logging software…” with avast internet security running?

why this additional layer?

system · 2014-03-03T10:42:43.000Z

On top of everything I mentioned above…

Safe Zone won’t let me sign into gmail and won’t let me view my bookmarks. Anyone have any input here to help me understand this?

system · 2014-03-03T10:45:22.000Z

Jeff, SafeZone is intended to protect you while online shopping and banking.

It runs in a sandbox/virtual environment detached from your drive and prevents keyloggers and malware from reading your screen.

Nothing can steal your personal data.

There are 100,000+ new virus/malware nasties everyday and your virus/malware protection will always be slightly behind the threats.

Keeping your personal data away from the disc stops the barstewards spoiling your week. ;D

system · 2014-03-03T10:48:05.000Z

jeff.sheard@gmail.com post:5:

On top of everything I mentioned above…

Safe Zone won’t let me sign into gmail and won’t let me view my bookmarks. Anyone have any input here to help me understand this?

You won’t see bookmarks from Google Chrome, SafeZone is a separate browser built on Chromium as a security app.

From the Avast Help File :

avast! SafeZone The avast! SafeZone is an additional security feature in avast! Pro Antivirus, avast! Internet Security and avast! Premier, which allows you to browse the web in a private, secure environment, invisible to the rest of your system. For example, if you do your banking or shopping online, or other security-sensitive transactions, you can be sure that your personal data cannot be monitored by spyware or key-logging software. If you go to a banking site which is recognized by avast!, you will be automatically prompted to use the SafeZone browser for your online transactions. Unlike the avast! Sandbox, which is intended to keep everything contained inside so that it cannot harm the rest of your system, the avast! SafeZone is designed to keep everything else out.
To open the secure SafeZone desktop manually, just go to the “Tools” tab, select “SafeZone” and then click the “Switch to SafeZone” button.

When you switch to SafeZone, the SafeZone web browser will start automatically. The SafeZone browser is a special browser without any additional components such as “plug-ins” which are often used to distribute spyware.

When you are done, click on the Start menu and select “Turn Off” to close the browser and return to your normal desktop. Your browser settings and any files that you have downloaded will be saved automatically and will be there the next time you open it. If you don’t want anything to be saved, click the “Reset SafeZone” button and everything will be deleted. The contents of the SafeZone, including all browser settings, will be reset to their original state.

Alternatively, you can just click the “switch back” button on the taskbar (next to the clock) which will return you to your normal desktop without terminating your web browser, so you can return to it later.

SafeZone also allows you to create a list of sites that should also be opened in SafeZone. Then, if you are in your regular browser and go to your favorite banking site, it will be automatically opened in the SafeZone.

system · 2014-03-03T10:51:03.000Z

Thank you for your sensible answer.

I guess I’m starting to get it.

So Avast Internet Security by itself will protect me from 95% of the shit out there.

And Safe Zone will protect me from 100%.

Does that about sum it up?

system · 2014-03-03T10:51:55.000Z

jeff.sheard@gmail.com post:8:

Thank you for your sensible answer.

I guess I’m starting to get it.

So Avast Internet Security by itself will protect me from 95% of the s**t out there.

And Safe Zone will protect me from 100%.

Does that about sum it up?

That is the idea

Pondus · 2014-03-03T12:21:21.000Z

jeff.sheard@gmail.com post:3:

[b]You’re kidding me right?

I guess there’s always someone who replies with this kind of zero content.[/b]

I read as much about safe zone on the avast support site as I could before posting this. Did you even read my entire post?

What’s the frikkin point of having the avast “Internet Security” suite installed if the only way to be sure you don’t have a key-logger on your sys is by using an entirely different desktop? Why the heck can’t safezone just be a plug-in to chrome?

I will investigate other antivirus software if you are telling me I am subject to spyware and keyloggers WITH AVAST RUNNING in my taskbar telling me EVERYTHING IS GOOD.

your topic title say…help me understand safezone
and it contain no info about you reading evrything about it.
and the sensible answer you say AdrianH gave you…contain a copy/paste of the same info you find in FAQ section that i linked to

Now my question and concern is this: Why safe zone? Why should I have to run safe zone to surf the net, shop, trade crypto currencies, etc? Why doesn't the avast software just make my browser a safe surfing zone without having to open this separate interface?

so i gave you a link to the info…if that was not what you wanted, then maybe you should have explained it better in your post

Announcements