After installing it, I opened up Firefox and immediately Little Snitch warns me that literally everything is now being routed through an Avast proxy server. Accounts, add-ons, all traffic. Despite opening DuckDuckGo, it made requests to Google servers too.
Fuck Avast.
Edit: For users of Avast who are sceptical, find a way to log your outbound traffic. You’ll see what I saw.
If you’re worried about your privacy, https://www.privacytools.io/ is an excellent guide.
Edit 2: Now I’m banned. 
I personally havent used any AntiVirus for over 5 years.
I suppose it is because it installs a root certificate to monitor web activity. Kaspersky and Bitdefender also do this, it is generally considered a bad practice because of the security risk but not everyone lets you disable it. I know Bitdefender free antivirus didn’t let me while I believe Kasperksy and Avast let you if you disable the web monitoring completely.
Okay, for everyone lazy I did some scanning with CurrPorts and some googling (using DuckDuckGo and not Google) and here’s the results:
Avast opens some ports from 127.0.0.1 to 0.0.0.0 (that means locally) for it’s mail shield. If you stop that shield the connections are gone.
The main spook seems to be about Google servers. Well, there seems to be some connections to wm-in-f1091e100.net (IP 64.233.166.109) . A quick search brings up this question and answer:
Q: What is 1e100.net and why do I have TCP ports open to it?
A: It’s Google Safebrowsing feature in Chrome. That feature checking sites and tell you if that site is “Attack Site”
I think at this point, if you have ever used Avast, you’ve already figured out that it’s the Web shield component that uses those connections. Seems like Avast is cheap enough to just send every link you visit to Google for link safety check.
Edit: forgot to mention, if you turn web shield off the connections are gone immediately and the only thaffic from Avast is done to their servers.
So don’t run around with your tinfoil hats and do some research instead. I’m not saying it’s good of Avast to rely on other companies for their service, but you have to be paranoid to think that someone at Google is spying on your life through Avast link safety checks.
Avast used to be my go-to back around 2009-2011. But I believe they were bought out, or went through serious re-structuring and this led to them selling out effectively.
At this point we were able to put trust in the built-in solutions as well as NOD.
It seems to be a normal trait with Anti-virus companies. They exist cause others are horrible and theft. Then they just become the same thing
For home users, separate antivirus from Windows Defender really seems like a waste.
After installing it, I opened up Firefox and immediately Little Snitch warns me that literally everything is now being routed through an Avast proxy server.
That’s apparently a Mac program. So, I don’t have it.
Despite opening DuckDuckGo, it made requests to Google servers too.
For users of Avast who are sceptical, find a way to log your outbound traffic or install HTTPS Everywhere and NoScript. You’ll see what I saw.
I already have both HTTPS Everywhere and NoScript installed in Firefox, and I have Avast Free Antivirus installed. I went to DuckDuckGo, and the only connection NoScript showed for that page was to duckduckgo.com.
Edit: To the people claiming I must have accidentally installed their VPN or browser extension, I didn’t. I’m a qualified computer tech with several years experience dealing with networks and Linux. I wouldn’t make these claims if I wasn’t certain.
Well mister smart computer tech guy, this is a common feature among antivirus programs, and has nothing to do with a VPN or a browser extension. Avast installed a root certificate so it can decrypt your SSL traffic. There’s a setting in Avast’s web monitor that disables it… Look for something like “monitor HTTPS traffic”.
So basically I should remove Avast antivirus and stick to Windows Defender?
. Despite opening DuckDuckGo, it made requests to Google servers too.
pretty sure that has nothing to do with avast
I guess I’ll have to use McAfee… /s
How new is this? I have to install avast for customers who bring in virus infected machines and need an alternative. (Free for college students stuff is getting past windows defender)
Sorry kinda off topic but I was thinking about getting lil snitch! Is it any good? I kinda like the idea that it has of monitoring the connections on my computer and where they are going!
I detected their shenanigans when my eID authentication broke and I started digging.
I told them their shit don’t fly and I’ll report them to my national services IT department and all they have in response was a cookie cutter response to contact support.
If I have my way, they’ll be plastered all over Belgium’s official sites mentioned as a threat to the Eid system.
Not saying use Linux, just saying.
Did you try disabling HTTPS scanning?
My personal antivirus progression over the previous decade:
Norton Antivirus → Avira → Avast → MSE
Currently, I get better value from just using Microsoft Security Essentials combined with good script-blocking browser extensions (NoScript, uBlock, HTTPS-Everywhere).
I just switched to Bitdefender from Avast. Despite numerous claims from various review sites that it’s an excellent AV program, is it just more of the same?
Windows Defender can do the job just fine why use third party anti virus ?
Present some proof yo!