Avast 12

Question

The following has been copied/pasted from https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=187663.0

[We are] happy to announce a new version of AVAST Antivirus (build number 12.1.2272 [Remark: The installer is labeled 12.1.3076]), called the NITRO Update.

.
It's for these products: Free Antivirus, Pro Antivirus, Internet Security and Premier.

.
This update is focused on improving the performance and detection capabilities. We also stopped using the year [2017] in [the] product name, as we will be releasing new versions in monthly cycles from now [on].

.
We also removed some features that might have been causing problems or not being used by many users in order to make Avast faster and lighter.

What's new:

+ Lower system impact - faster boot time, less space taken on disk

+ CyberCapture - better detection of unknown and unique files via our cloud technology

+ Regular monthly program updates - automatic and silent, configurable via Settings

+ Improved detection of router vulnerabilities

+ New Bank mode in SafeZone browser

+ Faster SecureLine connection

+ Antispam is now as opt-in component

- Removed hardware virtualization (NG) - replaced with CyberCapture, that has much lower impact on system resources

- Removed Remote assistance - not used enough and not a core functionality

How to install:

1. Update from existing Avast version via Settings -> Update -> Update program

2. Or you can download and install from here:

http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_free_antivirus_setup.exe

Offline installers [211 MB]:

http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_free_antivirus_setup_offline.exe

ky331 · Answer

Here is the list of available customized components from which to choose:

My personal preference is to UNcheck Safezone Browser, Secure Line, Cleanup, Desktop Gadget, and Passwords --- but that's a matter for each user to decide.

===============================================

This is as far as I'm taking things for now... I have NOT completed the installation. We'll see when I feel tempted to try this one out.

ky331 · Answer

First, I would strongly recommend you backup your existing customized settings from Avast 2016:    Avast / Settings / General / Back Up Settings. Running the offline installer, I was presented with a setup screen, which --- despite people complaining for years --- still has two Google options PRE-checked:   to install Google CHROME as the default browser, and to install Google Toolbar in Internet Explorer.   Unless you want these, be sure to UNcheck them. I would also recommend you click on the CUSTOMIZE link, under the big INSTALL button.

ky331 · Answer

I'm giving it a shot on my (secondary) XP system...

I backed-up my customized settings (from 2016), and ran the offline installer. Selected only the components I wanted, as noted in the preceding post.

When the installation was done, Avast requested a reboot, which I allowed.

It appears that avast kept my customized settings... but just to be sure, I imported/restored them, and rebooted again.

I have set Program Updates to MANUAL... we'll see if avast "obeys" my decision. [Definition Updates are set to Automatic.]

From the TOOLS menu, both Remote Assistance [no longer available in v12] and Statistics are gone. The Statistics module is allegedly still be worked on, with the expectation that it will be reinstated around September.

On the SETTINGS/GENERAL menu: Enable CyberCapture has replaced Enable DeepScan.

On the SETTINGS/Troubleshooting menu, Do not use Chrome as Avast default browser, Enable Hardware Assisted Virtualization, and Allow remote control of this computer, have been removed (at least, from this XP system).

===========================================

A FULL System Scan ran in an amazingly fast 13 1/2 minutes (114,000 files, 5150 folders, 26.3GB) [finding one PUP]; in contrast, the last full system scan (in January, with Avast 2016) took 31 1/4 minutes (123,000 files, 5100 folders, 30.5GB). So this either represents a MAJOR improvement in scanning efficiency, or else, that it's bypassing/overlooking things that it should be testing.

ky331 · Answer

Having had a relatively smooth (in fact, positive) experience with XP, I've decided to install avast 12 on my (primary) Win7x64 SP1 system.

The only thing I did differently is that, based on a conflict with previous avast installations, I exited MBAM (real-time protection) before installing avast.

The first two or three reboots seem to be dragging... hopefully, this is just a temporary situation... time will tell.

A FULL system scan took 42 1/4 minutes (437,000 files in 37,500 folders; 133 GB) and showed no malware issues; in comparison, the last full system scan (2 1/2 weeks ago with Avast 2016) took 51 minutes (435,000 files in 37,100 folders; 132.4 GB). So there's a "decent" improvement in speed/performance, but nothing near as amazing as what I experienced on the XP system.

A NETWORK scan reported that my home network --- and all the devices attached to it --- were secure.

ky331 · Answer

The following blog, by Martin Zima, has been copied/pasted from https://blog.avast.com/what-is-nitro-our-newest-high-speed-version-of-avast-antivirus ; the point being to show the changes/additions in Avast 12 (aka the Nitro version). Mr. Zima makes several comparisons of Avast Nitro to Windows Defender, and I have chosen not to edit this content --- but in so doing, let me explicitly state that I am not trying to say anything disparaging about the latter.

What is Nitro? Our newest, high-speed version of Avast Antivirus

Avast Antivirus Nitro Update is lightweight, delivers improved performance and includes our latest CyberCapture technology with zero-second threat detection against unrecognized files.

If you own a PC, you know you hate it when your antivirus software slows you down, so we developed our latest release to be strong and lightweight, with lower system impact to keep your PC running smoothly and protect you from the never-ending attacks we all experience.

So how do we keep the Nitro Update to Avast so lightweight? One way is we use new technology that utilizes the cloud to identify and analyze threats, which means Avast Antivirus Nitro Update is light enough that it doesn’t eat up your system’s resources. Our security software is smaller in size and designed to improve speed, boot time, download time, and system performance in Windows 10.

On the security side, Avast Antivirus Nitro Update includes proprietary CyberCapture technology, which identifies and responds to threats that have never been seen before, in real-time, because these days that is mission critical for your protection.

Along with the Nitro Update comes security and performance enhancements to Avast’s SafeZone browser, which isolates browsing sessions and gives users a much safer and more private browsing experience than a standard browser.

One important piece of data is that PCs run faster with the Avast Antivirus Nitro Update than they do with Windows Defender, which is on by default on Windows 10 PCs. In research conducted by independent testing institution AV-Comparatives, Avast’s impact on the system was two times smaller than that of Windows Defender. Windows Defender is included in Windows 10 and runs automatically if you do not have any other antivirus solution installed. If you install Avast, Windows Defender is deactivated, and Avast starts protecting you and making your PC faster.

6 reasons that the Nitro Update is our best Avast Antivirus yet

Lower System Impact

Don’t like waiting around? The new version of Avast Antivirus delivers 11% faster boot time on average than our previous version, and we were already pretty fast. To further save your time, the Avast Antivirus download has a smaller file size so it’s faster.

To free up your computer’s system processing power, we moved part of the background identification and analysis of threats to the cloud. For Windows 10 users, Avast Nitro Update has half as much system impact as Windows Defender, according to independent research from testing institution AV-Comparatives

CyberCapture

This new technology was developed by Avast’s Threat Labs to analyze unrecognized files that have never been seen before. We receive approximately 800,000 files a day, and about half of them are unknown. CyberCapture isolates unknown files in a safe environment and automatically establishes a two-way communication channel with you and Avast’s team of expert security analysts. This ensures that you are protected from any new threats before you open a potentially dangerous file.

New Monthly Product Updates

Cybercriminals work 24/7 and the security landscape changes rapidly while threats become more sophisticated. To stay ahead of cybercrooks, we will now release new software updates and features on a monthly basis. The updates are applied automatically, so you never miss anything vital to your security.

Leading HTTPS Security

Avast has the market’s most secure HTTPS Scanner*. That’s good news for you because around 30% of all web traffic today runs through HTTPS. Avast’s Web Shield scans all HTTPS sites for potential malware and threats, and we detect an average of 50,000 infected unique HTTPS URLs every day. That adds up to protecting around 3.2 million users every month from downloading malware or accessing malware distribution sites using HTTPS.

Improved Home Network Security

The Nitro update improves router security, including detection of 12 more types of router vulnerabilities. This is important because it protects you from threats like DNS hijacks and banking hacks, and helps you keep your protect your network drives and routers.

Enhanced SafeZone Browser

Avast has its own browser and in this updated version, the browser runs faster to protect your privacy in isolated sessions while you shop, bank, and browse online. It also gives you the option to block ads, which is pretty awesome.

So check out the new Nitro Update to our Avast Antivirus. We listen to our customers and here them telling us they want lighter weight solutions that offer the best protection. We hope we are delivering on that with every customer we protect.

ky331 · Answer

I've just installed avast 12 on two more XP systems. Running full system scans now... will see if there's anything to report. Suffice it to say, preliminary "feel" is good.

XP system #2 (Wife's desktop) showed a small improvement in the scan's efficiency: 31 minutes for 161,000 files in 13,100 folders (74.6 GB) [compared to 33 minutes for 161,000 files in 12,800 folders (71.3 GB) half a year ago with avast 2016].

XP system #3 (Wife's laptop) showed a major improvement in the scan's efficiency: 43 1/2 minutes for 245,000 files in 12,400 folders (212.4 GB) [compared to 47 3/4 minutes for ONLY 141,000 files in 11,700 folders (84.6 GB), about two years ago].

So it looks like avast has done a GREAT job with improvements on XP.

ky331 · Answer

I've now concluded my testing of avast 12 on 4 systems (1 Win7x64 SP1, and 3 32-bit XP SP3).

To summarize, I am VERY impressed by the greatly improved efficiency in scanning. Unless they're somehow cheating, and overlooking/bypassing some things (which I have no reason to believe is happening), the improvement in speed is absolutely amazing.

If anyone is concerned about CyberCapture --- avast's new feature to test/run "unknown" files in a virtualized environment in "the Cloud" --- this can be disabled from the Settings /General menu.

The only real concern I still have is about avast "automatically" pushing-out monthly program updates. As noted, I have set program updates to "manual" --- and I am hoping avast will honor my request. We'll find out soon enough.

ky331 · Answer

The following was copied/pasted from https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=189131.0

We are happy to announce new version of AVAST Antivirus (build number 12.2.2276). [Installer build 12.2.3126 ] This is a second release of the NITRO Update.
It's for these products: Free Antivirus, Pro Antivirus, Internet Security and Premier.

In this release, we finished some long-going internal projects (e.g. improvements in the licensing system and registration to the Windows Security Center) and fixed many bugs.
We stopped using the year in product name, as we will be releasing new versions in monthly cycles.

What's new:

+ Regular monthly program updates - automatic and silent, configurable via Settings

+ Fully compatible with Windows 10 Anniversary Update

+ The new Components menu in program Settings - an easier way to control which components are installed and running

How to install:

1. Update from existing Avast version via Settings -> Update -> Update program

2. Or you can download and install from here: http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_free_antivirus_setup_offline.exe

==============================================================

Comment: This new version adds Safeprice Browser Extension to the Customized Installation menu.

ky331 · Answer

Here are some changes in the Settings menu that I've noticed:

GENERAL Settings: CyberCapture now allows users to specify ALWAYS block suspicious files (default), or choose: ALLOW ME to run suspicious files. CyberCapture (formerly known as "DeepScreen") intercepts files that are "rare" (i.e., newly released, and hence, considered unknown/untested). They are then analyzed/tested "in the cloud" --- at avast's "backend". If the user selects to ALWAYS block suspicious files, they will be presented with a button to advise avast that "I trust this file", which may then be taken into consideration in avast's cloud analysis of the file. If instead, they select the ALLOW ME TO RUN option, that will enable offering a "Run Anyway" OPTION (rather than the "I trust this file" advisory), allowing the user --- at his/her own discretion and risk --- to run the file without waiting (perhaps hours) for CyberCapture to fully analyze it.

COMPONENTS Settings combine and replace the Active Protection Settings and the Tools Settings. It now includes the ability to install additional components/modules that had been bypassed via a Custom Installation... in my case, Privacy modules: SecureLine VPN and Password (Organizer); and "Performance" module: "Cleanup".

ky331 · Answer

Early comments in the avast forum contain complaints about two four issues:

1) Many users are complaining that the installation defaulted to installing SafePrice, a browser add-on. Users who didn't expect/want this objected, saying the only way they could remove it was via Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs. I believe this could also be disabled [removed??] via each browser's Add-on Manager.

2) Others are complaining that "the main Avast window / GUI randomly pops up throughout the day for no reason"... which can certainly be annoying if you're in the middle of something.

This bug --- and its root cause --- was discovered "quite late"... and avast couldn't postpone the release of this update, due the need for compatibility with the upcoming Windows 10 Anniversary Update. Avast plans to fix this bug via an emergency update, which is already prepared and currently being tested; and should be released by the time I'm posting this.

3) Apparently the new avast 12.2 version automatically disables Windows Defender on Win7 --- which it had never done previously. (I have only updated avast to 12.2 on XP, so I can't speak with any first-hand knowledge here.) https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=189162.0

4) For users of the avast Password Vault (I am NOT one of them), the update is reporting that ALL of their passwords were previously used, and need to be changed.

ky331 · Answer

In an attempt to fix an issue --- that the user interface was randomly opening up on its own --- avast issued an [emergency] update. However, it appears that this update made things significantly worse --- the avast interface no longer recognizes its own services and database :emotion-7: There are now MANY dissatisfied users bombarding the avast forum to complain.

I'm not 100% certain of this... but based on what I've read in the forum --- and just now confirmed on one of my computers --- it appears the buggy update is version 12.2.2276 - build 12.2.3126.2 ; the final digit, 2, distinguishes this update from earlier (good) ones.

For additional information, see the ongoing discussions: You are unprotected! Avast Background service is not running:

https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=189221.0

https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=189195.0

ky331 · Answer

The following has been copied/pasted from https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=187663.0

[We are] happy to announce a new version of AVAST Antivirus (build number 12.1.2272 [Remark: The installer is labeled 12.1.3076]), called the NITRO Update.

.
It's for these products: Free Antivirus, Pro Antivirus, Internet Security and Premier.

.
This update is focused on improving the performance and detection capabilities. We also stopped using the year [2017] in [the] product name, as we will be releasing new versions in monthly cycles from now [on].

.
We also removed some features that might have been causing problems or not being used by many users in order to make Avast faster and lighter.

What's new:

+ Lower system impact - faster boot time, less space taken on disk

+ CyberCapture - better detection of unknown and unique files via our cloud technology

+ Regular monthly program updates - automatic and silent, configurable via Settings

+ Improved detection of router vulnerabilities

+ New Bank mode in SafeZone browser

+ Faster SecureLine connection

+ Antispam is now as opt-in component

- Removed hardware virtualization (NG) - replaced with CyberCapture, that has much lower impact on system resources

- Removed Remote assistance - not used enough and not a core functionality

How to install:

1. Update from existing Avast version via Settings -> Update -> Update program

2. Or you can download and install from here:

http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_free_antivirus_setup.exe

Offline installers [211 MB]:

http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_free_antivirus_setup_offline.exe

ky331 · Answer

Here's a video by an avast user showing the Passive Mode toggle under Settings/Troubleshooting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtkxeASxYVU

(I still have not seen that setting, either because there wasn't a second anti-virus residing on my system, or because it was XP... not sure which is the reason why.) EDIT: Just got a quick response in the avast forum, that Passive Mode is not available in XP... only in Win7 and later.

ky331 · Answer

AVAST Antivirus (build number 12.3.2280; installer build 12.3.3154). 2280 fixes: + Slowing down computer during installation + Unavailability to install another language during installation than the detected ================================================================= Remark:   I can now confirm that avast version 12.3.x (and so presumably 12.2.x) automatically disables Windows Defender on Win7 --- which it had never done previously.   There is a registry 'hack' offered here https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=189162.msg1333130#msg1333130 to override this change, and allow Defender to be used as previously (e.g., as an occasional on-demand scanner).   Be advised that any such changes to the registry can be daunting, as an improper attempt can render your system unbootable. For those who wish to try it, before implementing the fix, be sure to DISABLE avast's self-defense module (Settings/Troubleshooting).

Virus & Spyware

Avast 12

What is Nitro? Our newest, high-speed version of Avast Antivirus

Avast Antivirus Nitro Update is lightweight, delivers improved performance and includes our latest CyberCapture technology with zero-second threat detection against unrecognized files.

6 reasons that the Nitro Update is our best Avast Antivirus yet

Was this post helpful?