AVG Link Scanner?

[Terry Pinnell]

I'm using AVG (Free), just updated to 8.5. One of its components,
'Link Scanner', has two apparently independent parts:
- Enable AVG Search-Shield (need web browser restart)
- Enable AVG Active Surf-Shield

Can anyone clarify what the distinction is please?

Are either (or both) worthwhile, or do they slow down performance?

 

[~BD~]

I'm using AVG (Free), just updated to 8.5. One of its components,
'Link Scanner', has two apparently independent parts:
- Enable AVG Search-Shield (need web browser restart)
- Enable AVG Active Surf-Shield

Can anyone clarify what the distinction is please?

Are either (or both) worthwhile, or do they slow down performance?

Hello Terry

You may get a better/quicker response here:-

http://freeforum.avg.com/

Quote:-

"The AVG Free Forum is a ‘user’ forum where users can share information
and help each other with AVG Free issues. The forum is moderated by
volunteers (other AVG Free users).
Before you can post your own topics you must first register for the AVG
Free Forum.
Please read the guidelines before posting as this will allow other users
to help you more quickly."

Good luck!

 

[Terry Pinnell]

Hello Terry

You may get a better/quicker response here:-

http://freeforum.avg.com/

Quote:-

"The AVG Free Forum is a ‘user’ forum where users can share information
and help each other with AVG Free issues. The forum is moderated by
volunteers (other AVG Free users).
Before you can post your own topics you must first register for the AVG
Free Forum.
Please read the guidelines before posting as this will allow other users
to help you more quickly."

Good luck!

Thanks Dave, duly posted there.

 

[VanguardLH]

I'm using AVG (Free), just updated to 8.5. One of its components,
'Link Scanner', has two apparently independent parts:
- Enable AVG Search-Shield (need web browser restart)
- Enable AVG Active Surf-Shield

Can anyone clarify what the distinction is please?

Are either (or both) worthwhile, or do they slow down performance?

Grisoft acquired Linkscanner and dumped it into their version 8 of AVG.
It causes problems and slowdown due to the time to interrogate a newly
visited web page. Visit their forums and you will see the
recommendation is to NOT install Linkscanner.

http://www.linkscanner.com/

Linkscanner is a combo tool that attempts to scan a web page looking for
suspicious or dynamically obfuscated code. It also has its own list
(that you download from their server when connected) of known "bad"
sites (to provide its rating). It doesn't do well on either front.
It's a poor substitute for WOT (Web Of Trust) and doesn't check as well
as the Finjan add-on. I don't care for community voting schemes, like
what WOT uses, and looking for malicious code in a web page does not
equate to discovering malicious intent (good code can still be
malicious). I gave up on both (and Linkscanner, too) since they are not
very protective but rather too paranoid than factual.

Grisoft wanted to add something akin to Avira's and Avast's web guards
so they acquired Linkscanner and simply dumped it into their bundle.

 

[~BD~]

Thanks Dave, duly posted there.

No problem, Terry!

Maybe the post from VanguardLH will help you. He knows *lots* about
computers and is always very helpful!

 

[Terry Pinnell]

Grisoft acquired Linkscanner and dumped it into their version 8 of AVG.
It causes problems and slowdown due to the time to interrogate a newly
visited web page. Visit their forums and you will see the
recommendation is to NOT install Linkscanner.

http://www.linkscanner.com/

Linkscanner is a combo tool that attempts to scan a web page looking for
suspicious or dynamically obfuscated code. It also has its own list
(that you download from their server when connected) of known "bad"
sites (to provide its rating). It doesn't do well on either front.
It's a poor substitute for WOT (Web Of Trust) and doesn't check as well
as the Finjan add-on. I don't care for community voting schemes, like
what WOT uses, and looking for malicious code in a web page does not
equate to discovering malicious intent (good code can still be
malicious). I gave up on both (and Linkscanner, too) since they are not
very protective but rather too paranoid than factual.

Grisoft wanted to add something akin to Avira's and Avast's web guards
so they acquired Linkscanner and simply dumped it into their bundle.

Many thanks, very helpful. I've duly disabled that function.