This gets weirder by the minute:
So here we have an all-in-one product which is to battle malware/virusses, create a safe-browser-zone for your more delicate interaction on the internet (like made online-banking) and an software updater so make sure your software is up to date.
To start with the safe-browser-zone. This part is a google-brower of sorts using gears.dll. It should be up-to-date so known exploits are stopped in their tracks. The included Software updater is none the wiser. All good, nothing to worry about.
Now comes in Secunia PSI (https://secunia.com) a free utility doing basically the same thing as the Avast! Software Updater. This utility with looks at software much the updater but with a far larger datebase of software an their versions. And it flags the gears.dll in Program Files\Avast Software\sfzone.
Well done… (uhm not).
Do explain Avast… I am most curious why your own update fails to detect an out of date gears.dll.
Did I mention this Secunia PSI looks at Acrobat Reader/Google Chrome/Firefox and browser plug-ins like Oracle Java / Microsoft Silverlight / Adobe Flash or Shockwave? Or Microsoft .Net software or Windows version (both 32bits and 64bits) with incidentally are commonly updated almost every Windows update circle on “patch Tuesday”?
The software mentioned are rather common and also the backdoors to a system if out of date.
Still more sofware is checked then but this PSI compared to Avast! software updater.
Here is an idea.
Do what you do best.
Make a product that tops again in battling malware/virusses.
Leave bloatware like Avast! Sofware Updater but as an opt-in if you must.
Same as the Avast Remote Assistance tool (opt-in).
And do some serious testing with upgraded version of the software. The removal of all dll’s and regsitry-keys on “supported systems” are sub par because you are clearly not up to speed on it.
The awsclear.exe utility (including an uninstall of version 8 and lower) was not available at the time the first release of Avast! 8 on the website. But this one that could remove up till version 7. Later on a updated version was released on a beta5 share. Ouch!