Windows Defender getting disabled (Win7, Avast Free)

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

Since recently, Windows Defender is getting ‘disabled’ on my Windows 7 machine with Avast Free - I think this started after the last Avast update, but I know there were also some Microsoft updates in the similar time frame.

Normally I wouldn’t care much about Windows Defender, but I’m using a Cisco AnyConnect VPN client to connect to a server, that demands and checks that I have both Windows Defender AND some additional Anti-Virus software (Avast).

The first time I encountered this problem, I had to run Group Policy Editor → Administrative templates → Windows Components → Windows Defender, then open ‘Turn off Windows Defender’ and set it to ‘Disabled’ and I though I solved the problem…

However, Windows Defender still gets disabled and I have to repeat the GPE process pretty much every time I use the VPN (I toggle from Disabled to ‘Not configured’, apply and then change back to Disabled and apply)…

Any ideas how to stop this from happening?

2

Contact Cisco and have them fix it.

Windows 10 automaticly disables Defender when a av is installed.
avast does it on Windows versions prior to Windows 10.

https://blog.kaspersky.com/multiple-antivirus-programs-bad-idea/2670/
https://usa.kaspersky.com/internet-security-center/internet-safety/multiple-antivirus-products

3

See: https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=189162.0

4

Thank you very much - that thread helped / solved the issue.

5

You’re welcome.

6

Not really.
The issue is that Cisco is checking what you have installed/are using and are forcing you to use certain things even if you do not want them.
A VPN should take care of data traffic in a secure way, nothing more nothing less.

7

It’s not Cisco that is forcing anything - it’s the admin / security team of the organization I’m connecting to. They decide the rules and policies I need to conform to if I want to work with them.