Avast 17

First, I would strongly suggest that existing Avast users back up their existing/customized settings:  Avast / Settings / General / Back Up Settings.

As noted above, the offline installer is 270 MEG in size!

As usual, Avast tries, by default, to install Google Chrome browser and Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer.   If you don't want this, be sure to UNcheck the pre-checked boxes:

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Clicking on CUSTOM yields the following screen (with pre-selected options):

Under SECURITY, the Behavior Shield is new... and if I'm not mistaken, has been taken from AVG (remember that Avast purchased AVG, so the two programs can now share the "best" of their technologies).

The WiFi Inspector the renamed Home Network Security.

My preference is to UNcheck:   SafePRICE browser extension, SecureLine VPN, Passwords, and Cleanup.   I consider SafeZONE browser, which is Chromium based, to be "user choice" --- I have installed it on XP, but not my newer systems.   

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After most of the installation was completed, Avast alerted me to its privacy policy:

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And offered to protect my Android devices:

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The following was copied/pasted from https://blog.avast.com/avast-2017-protects-you-from-ransomware-and-other-cyber-threats

Behavior Shield exposes ransomware

In 2016, Avast identified more than 150 new strains of ransomware for Windows OS, and the Avast Threat Labs detected more than 28 million ransomware threats globally. Because of this growing threat, our combined teams decided to integrate an AVG behavior analysis technology we call Behavior Shield into Avast 2017.

Behavior Shield sniffs out suspicious behavior of any software running on your computer in real time. This is a powerful tool against ransomware because Behavior Shield can expose unknown samples of ransomware by looking at the behavior of the code as it executes. It then steps in, stops, and quarantines the threat.

Wi-Fi Inspector looks for unsecured Internet of Things devices in your home

Another cybersecurity prediction for 2017 is the rise of enslaved Internet of Things (IoT) devices. All those home routers, game consoles, baby monitors, smart TVs, and many other IoT devices are easily targeted because of well-known security vulnerabilities. In 2016, large botnets, like Mirai, were constructed from these unsuspecting devices and used for spamming, DDoS attacks, and mining cryptocurrency like Bitcoin for their masters.

Avast 2017’s new Wi-Fi Inspector, previously called Home Network Security, proactively scans users' home networks for vulnerable devices and identifies weak Wi-Fi passwords, vulnerable routers, compromised Internet connections, and enabled, but not protected, IPv6. If a vulnerability is detected, Wi-Fi Inspector provides step-by-step instructions so you can fix any security issues. 

Zero-second protection against attacks

Avast Nitro users will recognize CyberCapture, our proprietary, cloud-based smart file scanner. Avast 2017 has faster detection to identify and isolate unknown files on your machine and then determine whether they are harmful by analyzing them in real-time. Ninety percent of the samples that are CyberCaptured are resolved; the other 10 percent go to our Threat Labs where a real human does an ad hoc analysis.

Making it easier to do what you want to do

Many of our customers are gamers, and we listened to their suggestions when designing Avast 2017. The improved Avast Game Mode ensures zero interruptions during PC gaming. That means that all Avast notifications are muted and updates are delayed when Avast 2017 switches into Game Mode. Gamers, you know what that means - more bandwidth! 

We have many advanced users who want the freedom to use utilities from competing companies alongside Avast. The new Avast 2017 Passive Mode shuts down our active shielding components and Firewall, to allow Avast and another antivirus to share the same system space without competing.

Avast SafeZone Browser is a secure alternative to standard browsers. It protects your privacy and data while also providing convenience, it blocks annoying ads and launches with Avast Password’s browser app pre-installed.

Securing your PC is complicated, but navigating the Avast user interface shouldn’t be. We put lots of thought into how we can make it easier for you to get in to the Avast 2017 dashboard, find what you are looking for, and get the results you want. I hope you like it.

Manage your passwords with ease

It’s a bad idea to reuse the same password over and over again, but we are all guilty of it because it’s so darn hard to keep up with them all. Not anymore! We redesigned Avast Passwords for PCs and Macs, so you can easily manage all your passwords and keep yourself secure. Your passwords are securely kept in one convenient location, locked behind a master password and when unlocked, Avast Passwords auto-fills the information into your online accounts.

Quoting from https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=197955.0 :

Good news, everyone!

New Avast Antivirus version is here (17.2.2288 ; build 3419). This version doesn't introduce any new features, rather fixes some of the most critical issues that appeared on the previous version

What's fixed:

- not working User interface after update
- problems on Windows Vista after update
- issues with SecureLine license after update
- conflict with Comodo firewall
- installation of web extensions on 64-bit version of Firefox
- problems with opening Avast UI after installation
- security issue in SafeZone browser banking mode

Despite having it set for MANUAL updates, avast "decided" to update itself on my Win7 system (from v12 aka 2016) to v17.   There was a REPLACEMENT start-up program for the (new) user interface, as well as a NEW service aswIDSAgent (which "Provides Identity Protection Against Cyber Crime").   The Behavior Shield was also added.

It appears that my existing/customized settings were retained through this (unplanned/unexpected) update.   I will have to sit down and carefully check/verify everything as soon as I have the time.

Aside from the unscheduled timing of this update, I have not encountered any ill effects (so far???).

https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=199715.0

Good news, everyone!

New Avast Antivirus March version is here (17.3.2290 ; build 3442 ). This version doesn't introduce any new features, rather fixes some of the most critical issues that appeared on the previous version.

What's fixed:

- Firewall: Fixed internet connectivity not working after update (until restart) on Win XP, Vista and 7 - should now always work immediately
- Wifi Inspector: Fixed incorrectly displayed vulnerabilities - vulnerability info is now correct
- Web Shield: Fixed SSL scanning issue on some sites - sites now load correctly
- Issues with login to roaming profile after update
- Passwords: Fixed issues with self-authorization and import from Easy Pass
- Issue with installation on Braswell CPUs
- Network problems after update on Vista
- Issue with playing HTML5 videos in SafeZone browser
- Improved compatibility with Windows 10 Creators Update
- Issue with disabling components, which require restart
- Problems with never-ending Cleanup optimization

Offline installers:

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

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Remark:

While I haven't had a chance to test this newest release, it has received a much better reception in the avast forum than either of the previous releases (where there were TONS of complaints).

Personally, I have been using 17.2 for the past few days (after it was installed on my system withOUT my consent), and have not experienced any problems with it.

 AVAST 17.3.2291 (build 3443) released, with a few hotfixes.


FIXED:

 - Hotfixes of a few non-fatal crashes (non-necessary dumps created in the log folder)
 - Avast does not recognize Cleanup license after update (fixed via UI update channel for release as well)

Something in avast --- most-likely GAME MODE --- suddenly started annoying me with intermittent changes to my brightness/power settings... switching between energy-saver mode (default) and high-performance mode (games)... and I'm not even playing games!

I *think* I was able to fix this by deactivating gaming mode:   open avast / Performance / Game Mode / turn OFF.

The following was copied/pasted from https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=201729.0

New public version 17.4.2294 (build 3482) has just been released.
 
What's new:

- updated GUI engine
- fixed notification of finished Smart Scan, now it correctly shows the results instead of starting the scan again
- fixed several crashes in Web Shield (including corruption of large downloaded files)
- fixed crashing during update of virus definitions on 32-bit OS
- viruses detected by File Shield are now correctly moved to quarantine
- firewall profile is correctly recognized also when you connect via different network adapters
- fixed problem with empty windows profile on Windows 10 after avast update
- right-click explorer scan now runs in main window

How to install:

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

2. Or you can download and install from here

Offline installers:

http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_free_antivirus_setup_offline.exe (285 MEG)

The following was copied/pasted from https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=204588.0 

Hi everyone,
new stable version 17.5.2302 (build 3559) has just been released.
 
What's new:

- New feature: Ransomware Shield (for Internet Security and Premier)
- New warning system on dashboard
- Warnings added to notification center
- Redesigned some popups
- Notification counter added to tray icon
- Fixed issues with public profile in Firewall


How to install:

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

2. Or you can download and install  Offline installers from here:

http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_free_antivirus_setup_offline.exe (279 MEG)

• Superficial comparison of changes to v17. 5 (at least, based on the XP version:

  .

  On the STATUS screen, the NOTIFICATION bell toward the upper right indicates an "issue".

  When I click on it, it indicates that SILENT MODE is on, and that I won't receive any (further)

  notifications until I turn off Silent Mode.

  .

  On the STATUS screen, the PERFORMANCE tab (which accessed GAMING MODE) has been

  removed.

  .

  On the PROTECTION screen, an icon has been added for the RANSOMWARE shield... which is

  NOT available in the FREE version.

  .

  -----------------------------------------------

  .

  Moving on to the SETTINGS:

  .

  GENERAL - the STATUS MONITORING options have been removed. I've read that they be part

  of the new notification screen, but if so, I have yet to find them.
  Okay, here's a bit more information:   If a notification has been "triggered" --- e.g., if a shield has somehow become disabled --- you will see a warning in the system tray icon (as well as the number of warnings triggered), and when you access the notification screen, it will have (at least a partial) explanation.   Unfortunately, the explanation can be vague:   "Some" shield has been disabled, with no indication as to which one it is.   Moreover, the only options are to (continue accepting the notification as is, or to) ignore this warning in the future.   However, it's unclear whether clicking on ignore will ignore the warning just for that one particular shield, or if it will result in a wide-scale ignoring of all of avast's shields.   Furthermore, there's no indication that, once ignored, there'll be a way to reinstate it (if desired)... one has to hope that's doable.

  .

  COMPONENTS - GAME MODE option has been removed.

  .

  TOUBLESHOOTING - ENABLE ANTI-ROOTKIT MONITOR checkbox has been added (in

  addition to the already-existing: Enable rootkit scan on system startup)

In the above post, I mentioned "SILENT MODE"... it needs more elaboration: 

At some point, avast introduced GAME MODE... and (apparently) SILENT MODE.   I'm not sure if these two were always separate, or if, at some point, they were in fact one and the same.   EDIT:   In last year's version, SILENT/GAME mode was indeed a single/combined option.   Upon separation, GAME mode was apparently removed from WinXP, but remains available in Win7.   Silent mode, separately, is available in both XP and in Win7.

The point of a GAME/SILENT mode was so that gamers could play their games without being bothered by popup/warnings interrupting them.   In theory, a nice concession on avast's part.

Anyway, I eventually had enabled both gaming mode and silent mode.

Well, it turns out that an additional feature of GAME mode was avast modifying one's POWER settings, to allow FULL POWER while gaming, but automatically reducing the POWER setting to balanced or energy saver when NOT in GAME mode.   I realized this when I noticed my screen randomly getting brighter and darker.   While I was never actually gaming, apparently avast "considered" (or mis-analyzed) something I was doing as "gaming", and so upped the power/brightness... and when it thought I was done, it then reduced the power/brightness.   I found this quite annoying and unacceptable, and was able to "fix" it by disabling [or uninstalling] GAME mode.

And so separately, I recently discovered that SILENT mode has nothing to do with game mode... it's literally a TOTAL shut-off of ALL avast popups... both ADVERTISEMENTS offering to enhance/upgrade the product to include paid features... as well as WARNING/PROMPT messages to react to a potential virus threat (for those who tweaked avast to ASK them what should be done when an issue is found).    Turning off SILENT mode brought back the popups/ads... but also restored PROMPTS to ask me what I wanted to do.    It also explains why, for the past few months, I found certain items in avast's quarantine/chest, without my telling it to put them there:   with silent mode on, it wouldn't prompt me, so I couldn't answer, so it defaulted to placing "questionable" items into quarantine.   Hmmm.

The following has been copied/pasted from https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=208020.0

Hi everyone,
new stable version 17.6.2310 (build 3625) has just been released.
 

What's new:

- Improved Anti-Phishing prevents you from falling victim to scams and fake sites (no browser extension needed!)

- New standalone Avast Cleanup Premium product with improved cleaning (to be rolled out in stages)

- We now recommend scanning for hidden network threats when you first connect to a new network

- Our systray icon now shows when you have a security notification

-  Improved threat detections are now more visible and more informative about threats

How to install:

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

2. Or you can download the Offline installer from

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

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Remark:   I've not (yet) personally tested this... but as you can see in the referenced thread, users are already complaining about it breaking things :-(

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UPDATE:   avast has confirmed a problem with the Web Shield, which resulted in many (most?) sites being blocked.   It has allegedly been fixed now, with the release of defs\17083106_stream (or later). 

version 17.7.2314 (build 3660) has  been released.

What's new:

- New Webcam Shield stops hackers from hijacking your webcam to spy on you (Premier only)

- Virus Chest redesigned and moved to the Protection menu for easier access

- Improved low-level optimizations for better performance with AMD Ryzen CPUs

- Exclusions for Real Site (Secure DNS) can now be added via Web Shield exclusions

- Added support for credit cards in Avast Passwords

- Refreshed UI of SecureLine VPN

How to install:

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

2. Or you can download the OFFLINE installer and install from here

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

Avast new stable version 17.8.2318 (build 3705) has just been released.
 

What's new:

- Fixed issues with deleting Firewall rules during program update
- Fixed issues with Passive mode
- Added support for custom folders in Ransomware shield
- Fixed repeating scheduled scans
- Fixed update action from Windows Security Center
- Polishing of Virus Chest
- Fixed issue with Gmail signature (007 error) that was breaking outgoing emails
- Fixed Firewall new network toaster to set the correct profile

How to install:

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

2. Or you can download the OFFLINE installer and install from here

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

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

For an ongoing discussion of this update, see https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=210678.0

Avast 17.9.2322 (build 3761) has been released

https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=212045.0

What's new:

- Now you can send feedback and bug reports from Settings > About
- Recycle Bin content can now be shredded via Windows contextual menu (Avast Premier only)
- Redesigned Scan & Shields screens in the Protection menu for easier navigation
- Redesigned Avast Passwords UI for easier use
- More detailed status reporting to Windows Security Center in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update
- Nested virtualization support for AMD CPUs
- Better proxy detection by setup and update from Windows settings


Fixed:

- Fixed a problem with white UI (you might see more processes AvastUI.exe now, but that's OK)
- Sensitive Data Shield now works with Windows XP and Vista
- Anti-Phishing Protection in Web Shield now works with Windows XP
- Clicking Scan Details in the Notification Center no longer starts another scan
- Fixed Avast service crash when a license expires
- Fixed performance scan in Performance > Cleanup Premium
- Fixed issue where Behavior Shield sometimes cut off a user’s Internet connection
- False positives can now be reported directly from threat detection warnings (File Shield)
- Fixed boot issue on Windows XP when Virtual PC driver is installed
- Fixed BSOD caused by conflict between DELL percsas3 and Avast Self-defense drivers

How to install:

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

2. Or you can download the OFFLINE installer and install from here

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