I tried to setup Avast so that it has to always “ask” what to do with a file I’m downloading that’s tagged as a problem. I do so because I have a few different sandbox programs available, including the one in Avast pro, that will allow me to explore questionable files without letting them permanently alter my system. Sometimes for my work this process is necessary.
Today I was downloading such a file, and the issue came up for the first time since I’m using Avast. I was tremendously surprised when a popup asked me what to do, but the only choice that was given in the associated drop-down menu was to Abort!
What would possibly be the point of being able to have your software ask me what I want to do, and then giving me no choices? It doesn’t make much sense. Is this a quirk of the program, or am I doing something wrong with the setup?
If it helps:
Win 8.1 on an up-to-date recent model Dell computer
Comodo firewall
Avast Pro 2014.9.0.2016
Whilst there is Ask in the web shield setting Action options, the only true option is Abort Connection after it has asked in the alert window as the OP states. It won’t let you download the file/object, however it may allow you to report it as a false positive. But it still wouldn’t allow you to continue browsing that site unless you set an exclusion, which could be dangerous unless 100% sure it is an FP.
The OP was inquiring about options. Granted once the pop-up appears the user has two choices, abort connection and report as a false positive.
The default is to “abort” which is the wisest option. If the user chooses “ask” in the web shield settings then they, the user, should proceed with
due caution. Lots of caution.
Some of you are taking my concern in the wrong way. The problem here is actually pretty simple.
I did the settings precisely as Para-Noid suggested above. The difficulty is that when you do that, and Avast flags a file that you’re downloading as malware or a virus, you get a pop up. That pop-up has a drop down menu where the only choice available is to abort. Below that you can opt to send the file to Avast, presumably to have it examined as a ‘false positive’. Clearly, if there was only to be a single option, the programmers wouldn’t have placed a drop down menu on that popup. Why would you have a drop down menu for a single choice? It makes no sense, right?
I want the option to continue downloading the file, if that’s what I want to do. I’m not asking any of you if you think its wise, or dangerous, or whatever. I’ve already said my intention was to sandbox the file and examine it for my work. Having the ability to do that would clearly seem to be why you were given the option in settings to have the program “Ask” what you want to do in the first place. If in my judgment I wish to continue downloading the damn file that’s my decision; that’s why I opted to have Avast ask what I want to do.
Asking and then offering no choice is either an extremely poor judgment on the part of Avast, or in the alternative there’s some bug in the program. A single choice drop down menu would seem to indicate that a bug is the more likely explanation – how often do you see single-choice drop down menus? I’d love to hear from someone at Avast who can clarify that, and perhaps help find a fix.
