Thumbs down for AVG Security 7.5

[Guest]

Just came across this review of the AVG Security suite. The antispyware
component did well at preventing infections being installed, but hopeless at
removing stuff that's already there - see here:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2060862,00.asp

This seems odd, considering it's Ewido-based?

And the AVG firewall seems to be alarmingly susceptible to attack - very
worrying. See here:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2060864,00.asp

Suddenly, I feel rather vulnerable!

 

[Patrick Casher]

I thought AVG wasn't going to be free after Jan 15th so I inadvertently
switched to Avast.
www.refdesk.com
freestuff (lower right side)
Freeware (in alphabetical index)
I think it's under utilities and antivirus also further down in the menu.

It's a little different but I like it so far.

 

[Guest]

I thought AVG wasn't going to be free after Jan 15th

I should point out that AVG Internet Security 7.5 isn't free. It's an
integrated internet security package, for which I've paid.

 

[Robin]

AVG is free as long as you have the 7.5 version
the other versions will no longer be supported
robin

 

[Robin]

you know you cannot just go by what one website says.
I have seen pcmag say great things about software that I have used and had
more problems with then I can imagine on may computers. You could go to
hundreds of other ones and they will rate AVG as being an excellant
antivirus.
pcmag rates Norton to be one of the best antivirus and firewall programs and
I found that it is one of the worst. AVG picked up things Norton could not
find and I have gone to hundreds of newsgroups and articles on the net that
say the same thing.

robin

 

[Guest]

Alan, I totally agree with Robin. I'm very happy with my AVG free and also my
Avast home (free).

 

[Guest]

Alan, I totally agree with Robin. I'm very happy with my AVG free and also my
Avast home (free).

I understand that, and I understand (and agree with) Robin's insistence that
you can't judge a product by only one review. But here is a very specific
test of a firewall which, it seems, will easily roll over and die, given a
bit of malware encouragement. That seems to be an important test, and an
important failure. I'm not knocking the product - heck, I've invested hard
cash in it - but I shall write to AVG and ask them about this firewall test.

 

[Guest]

This is one of the reasons I don't like "suites".

I would rather have the best firewall, the best antivirus, and the best
anti-adware/spyware. And then double check with my backups.

Of course what is best is often up to the users opinion.

This way if I become unhappy with one product I am not stuck with it because
of it.

Just my opinion.

?
Tim

 

[Robin]

this is where i agree with you and when Alan asked me about what he should
purchase I told him to get AVG with Firewall and the antispyware seperate.
I personally do not like suites either but he did not listen to me
I would rather pay a bit more and have more control over the product then
have it totally intergrated

robin

 

[Robin]

and as I said before pcmag doesn't know everything
here is a review of the avg firewall from another site

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/76252/avg-7-plus-firewall.html

http://www.computeractive.co.uk/computeractive/software/2147465/avg-professional-plus-firewall

also understand what you are using a firwall for.
Everything should be in stealth mode when you test.
You can test at www.grc.com and use the "shields up" test @
https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2
take the file sharing, common ports, all service ports test tabs and see
how your firewall does
You can also go to http://www.grc.com/lt/leaktest.htm and download the
"Leak Test"
Follow the suggestions when it comes up on what to do before you execute the
test.
Read the help file after you double click the downloaded exe
When test is executed it should show like this:
Unable To Connect

LeakTest was unable to connect

to the GRC.COM Web Server.

This means your firewall passed!
To really see if it worked do the test again but this time "allow" it to go
and it should say it connected.
Then find the entry it made and block it again and see if it cannot connect
again- just to be sure it worked.

This is soley for anyone using AVG+ firewall for this test after you get the
message above if you cannot figure out how to "allow" it for second part of
test:
Double Click AVG
Highlight Firewall
Click on "configure"
Click on the "Log" tab
Find the line that blocked the leaktest.exe
Highlight and click on the tab to the right- Add/Edit Application
A box will come up with Application Properties.
Make sure the name is Leaktest
Click the "Allow" button even if it says "allow" now
Click "Apply"
Then do the test again
this time it should let it through and fail.
Go back to where you clicked "allow" and now click "ask"- again make sure
you click "apply"
Do the test again and again "deny" it.

I totally passed on all 3 computers using AVG with firewall and I use this
test all the time on computers that do not have AVG firewall.

robin

 

[Guest]

also understand what you are using a firewall for.

Robin, I use the GRC test frequently to check that the firewall is working
properly, as part of my general security checking. The review stated clearly
that the firewall operates correctly, in stealth mode, as indeed it does. I
don't need persuading that in normal use, the firewall does its job. Of
course it does. I can see that it does. I test it repeatedly.

But none of this is addressing the issue that worries me, which is the chief
point of criticism in this review, namely, that the AVG firewall is easily
disabled by malware.

Now, that really matters. I have no reason to doubt the reviewer's findings
- it's obvious from what he says that in this regard it performed badly in
his tests compared to more robust firewalls. It means that if the wrong bit
of malware slips through my defences, it can disable my firewall and
communicate outwards. That can't be taken lightly.

 

[Guest]

this is where i agree with you and when Alan asked me about what he should
purchase I told him to get AVG with Firewall and the antispyware seperate.

But in this present case, Robin, that would make no difference. The AVG
firewall and the AVG antispyware are still the same basic engines, whether
used separately, or in the integrated security suite, and the issue is not
about control, but of the vulnerability of the firewall. You and I are using
the same antivirus, the same antispyware, and the same firewall. If I'd
bought them all separately, I would still be worried about this weakness in
the AVG firewall.

 

[Guest]

I shall write to AVG and ask them about this firewall test.

I've now done this, and I'll report back when I get a reply.

 

[robinb]

did you do the leak test?
robin

Robin, I use the GRC test frequently to check that the firewall is working
properly, as part of my general security checking. The review stated
clearly
that the firewall operates correctly, in stealth mode, as indeed it does.
I
don't need persuading that in normal use, the firewall does its job. Of
course it does. I can see that it does. I test it repeatedly.

But none of this is addressing the issue that worries me, which is the
chief
point of criticism in this review, namely, that the AVG firewall is easily
disabled by malware.

Now, that really matters. I have no reason to doubt the reviewer's
findings
- it's obvious from what he says that in this regard it performed badly in
his tests compared to more robust firewalls. It means that if the wrong
bit
of malware slips through my defences, it can disable my firewall and
communicate outwards. That can't be taken lightly.

 

[Guest]

did you do the leak test?

Yes, I did the leak test very early on, and it was fine. But again I need to
point out that the leak test only tests whether the firewall works when in
normal use. It doesn't tell me anything about its resistance to being
disabled by malware, because the leak test doesn't attempt to disable the
firewall. It just attempts to fool it.

It's worth saying again that quite early on I encountered a problem myself
with this firewall - it was effectively disabled merely because I was
(inadvertently) using a dialup connection with an ethernet device enabled as
well, and it took a lot of emails between AVG and myself to resolve that
issue. It was a bug and they fixed it. So I'm not surprised, though I am
concerned, by the suggestion in this review that it might have other
weaknesses to be discovered. And if it does have weaknesses that can be
improved upon, I don't want merely to cross my fingers and hope I don't fall
foul of them. I want AVG to fix them. Let's see what they say in response to
my email?

 

[Robin]

let us know how they respond.
robin

Yes, I did the leak test very early on, and it was fine. But again I need
to
point out that the leak test only tests whether the firewall works when in
normal use. It doesn't tell me anything about its resistance to being
disabled by malware, because the leak test doesn't attempt to disable the
firewall. It just attempts to fool it.

It's worth saying again that quite early on I encountered a problem myself
with this firewall - it was effectively disabled merely because I was
(inadvertently) using a dialup connection with an ethernet device enabled
as
well, and it took a lot of emails between AVG and myself to resolve that
issue. It was a bug and they fixed it. So I'm not surprised, though I am
concerned, by the suggestion in this review that it might have other
weaknesses to be discovered. And if it does have weaknesses that can be
improved upon, I don't want merely to cross my fingers and hope I don't
fall
foul of them. I want AVG to fix them. Let's see what they say in response
to
my email?

 

[Guest]

I've now done this, and I'll report back when I get a reply.

That was 10 days ago, and I've had no reply.

 

[Robin]

resend it telling them you have not received a reply from them in 10days and
see what you get
robin