Ransomware

Does the Avast Anti-Virus catch the new Ransomware posing as critical Windows update

If they got a sample of it yes

they frequently change them or release new versions to avoid detection, a daily cat and mouse game

NO security programs have 100% detection or zero false positives

This version is detected

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/fantom-ransomware-encrypts-your-files-while-pretending-to-be-windows-update/

https://virustotal.com/nb/file/f4234a501edcd30d3bc15c983692c9450383b73bdd310059405c5e3a43cc730b/analysis/