Avast update – Web Shield module added

Topic

New Reply

Avast has updated its AV program to include a dedicated ‘Web Shield’ module, scanning traffic coming in from web pages. When an infected file is detected, Avast will give the user the ability to abort the connection and prevent the infected file(s) from getting through to their computer; ‘Silent Mode’ will abort the connection automatically. This new module also supports url blocking, including wildcards, which can be used as an added measure of security.

Reply | Quote

Replies

Based on a brief review of the product info on this feature, it appears to be implemented as a local proxy, intermediate between the browser (or other application) and the network connection. This should mean that there would be no conflict with the user’s firewall, which also may be examining inbound and outbound HTTP traffic, as the firewall shouldn’t care whether packets are exchanged with IE or the proxy.

Too bad the free version is “home use only.”

Reply | Quote

After reading the remaining product info for this new release, I noticed the following:[indent]

---

The ALWIL Team has been constantly adding definitions for new viruses and new threats. These are not just computer viruses anymore – they include threats such as Trojan horses, Internet worms, and also spyware, adware, dialers and other types of malware. However, until version 4.6, the malware types were not properly distinguished from each other.

---

[/indent]Is this a first for AV programs, to include non-viral malware in their definitions? It’s something I figured they could be made capable of doing, but had not noticed it with any other AV program until now.

Reply | Quote

The line between spyware and trojans can be blurry enough that many programs detect both, but for marketing reasons, spyware is now being emphasized much more than before.

Reply | Quote