I have used Avast for a very long time. Back when I started in 07, Avast was a lightweight, effective malware slaying machine. Now, it is a bloated POS that doesn’t do the job I originally got it for - insurance, on the rare chance I made a error of judgment.
For the last two years or so, Avast has provided me with 95% false positives (most infamously against Guitar Pro 5). The only time it’s detected something that might be an actual threat is when a website has initiated a download to a PUP, like iLivid, and frankly I don’t need Avast to tell me not to run a downloaded executable that I didn’t tell the browser to download. In fact, here is a list of things I don’t need avast to do:
1: Update it’s interface and program every 3 days.
2: Bombard me with far too many toast notifications. These often get in the way of the following common computer activities: EVERYTHING.
3: Plague me with restart notifications that take the focus away from anything I’m doing, including full screen applications. I don’t care if Avast needs this update - I’m the boss of this computer, if I say we stay online til the damn CPU burns out from old age, we’re staying online for that time - don’t spam me with restart notifications.
3-A: Open restart prompt with “OK” highlighted. As if it wasn’t irritating enough to have auto-focus on the restart prompt, “OK” is also highlighted - if you happen to be typing something and you happen to press “enter” when this window pops up, your PC happens to restart.
4: Scan my PC for “grime”. “Grime”? You dare call my PC grimy? Who do you think you are? The administrator? When you update your program, please refrain from automatically installing needless features like this. For me, this feature is more of a drain on my system’s resources than the “grime” it detected.
5: Give files “reputations”. This tactic doesn’t even work, and is in part why avast is getting fired today. Expanded upon below.
When I got avast, all it did was it’s job. Now it tries to do lots of jobs, and forgets about it’s original job, and this is why I’m here right now posting this topic. Two days ago, I downloaded FileZilla’s client from Sourceforge. I had the installer open, but I didn’t continue with it because I was busy with other things and FileZilla was not too important at the time. Somehow, OptimizerPro weaseled it’s way into my system, and this is where I get angry.
I use avast to prevent stuff like this from happening. http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=109600.0 This link says to me that Avast had at least been notified about this malware (as early as 2012), yet somehow it managed install itself into my system and avast didn’t do a damn thing about it. OptimizerPro is without a doubt malware. But it gets better! While grumbling to myself about how Avast had missed such an obvious piece of malware, I attempted to download AdwCleaner - and that’s when Avast leaped into action, informing me that the file was “either very new or very rare”. Thanks File Reputation, you’re an excellent feature! Pity the malware was lodged inside something that wasn’t very new or very rare!
In conclusion: thank you, Avast, for popping off warnings about perfectly safe programs but remaining utterly silent while something infiltrated my system. Congratulations, you are finally just another useless, bloated POS “antivirus” that treats the user like they’re completely inept, and you let systems get infected anyway.
You’re fired. Box your stuff and get out.
FAQ:
Q: What are your system specs?
A: Core i5 3570k, 16gb RAM, ATI 6580 1gb, Asrock Pro3 z77. I could list more but really are the PSU and HDDs relevant?
Q: Was your version of Avast! Antivirus updated to the latest version?
A: Yes.
Q: What OS do you use?
A: Windows 7 64bit.
Q: If you’re so good, why do you even need avast?
A: Good point. That’s another reason to call it useless and uninstall it!
Q: Is there anything else I can “help” you with today sir?
A: No. There’s a possible BSOD issue with avast 8, but I don’t have time to expand upon that and I think you people have given enough “help”.
Q: How did you find out that the infection came from SourceForge’s version of FileZilla client installer?
A: A quick google search of “sourceforge filezilla optimizerpro”, but more importantly NOT FROM AVAST. It was also in the comments on the page at sourceforge, but unfortunately this was a rare moment of where I made an error of judgment - Avast was supposed to save me here, but it didn’t.
TL;DR:
I use avast to protect me from my rare errors of judgment. My error was trusting sourceforge. Avast should have picked up on that, but did not. It instead picked up on AdwCleaner, the solution to my problem. Thus, avast is uninstalled and will never be used on my machines again.
