In default all PUP (personal unwanted programs) are disabled in all settings and shields. I did my own malware tests in virtualbox and I have noticed that with all PUP settings enabled Avast finds adware (toolbars etc.) which not was found with default settings.
So my question is, why are they ainât enabled on default?
And I have a suggestion. It would be more easy and usefull when the Avast team would implement a âPUP buttonâ to enable or disable all PUP settings in âshieldsâ and âscan computerâ.
For the most part people havenât got a clue what a PUP is, as far as they are concerned it is a virus, when it is just a possibly unwanted program.
The next problem is what does the user do when presented with such PUP detections as they have to know 1) what is installed on their system 2) what this does and 3) is it legit for that purpose on their system. Many people are unable to make those judgements and an anti-virus canât determine intent either.
Also for the on-demand scans, for the most part these scans are going to be scanning files that are dormant or inert.
Whilst there might be a case for enabling scanning for PUPs in the on-access File System Shield scanner, the user is still presented with the problem of legitimacy. I believe that the Web Shield does scan for PUPs as does the Boot-Time scan.
no, the PUP is disabled in the webshield by default. Only in boot-time scan. So the problem you clarified is presented also ,when a novice user do a boot-time scan. He has to decide as well ,as when he do a quick scan with PUP enabled. So PUP had to be disabled in boot-time scan as well by default which isnât.
But I think a novice user whose machine got infected like by drive-by download and got no warning from the antivirus because it was PUP, may be wondering why he got a toolbar in IE but didnât install it. So for me, the more a antivirus detects (all stuff), the more the user is aware whatâs going on. That is my opinion.
Bort scan is not ment to be used as a regular scan, it is a spesial scan You use if the normal scan have problems removing a infection
But I think a novice user whose machine got infected like by drive-by download and got no warning from the antivirus because it was PUP
PUP is not a infection......it is a program that Can be used for good or bad if abused
If You search the forum for PUP detections You will find some factory installed programs from Dell and Hp, and many of those that came here with those detections thought they where infected
I know people who do a regular boot-time scan time by time.
AVG has by default PUP enabled. MSE detects those kind of programs as adware ,but with low risk like avast. As far as I know PUP canât be disabled in MSE. The user has to decide.