Alert to users of Avast anti-virus for Mac - unexpected app installation

[freiheit]

Just FYI to users of Avast free anti-virus for Mac, a number of users, myself included, who use the Avast anti-virus for Mac have found that Avast has surreptitiously installed something called SecureLine VPN on our machines. There are discussions on the Avast online forums (see https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=172391.0 and https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=172142.0 for example).

Don

 

[MacDawg]

Reason #632 for not using anti-virus software on my Macs

 

[simonsi]

Ironic. ClamXAV working just fine here...

 

[maflynn]

Wow, I use avast for windows, I'll have to see if they installed that on my windows box. I agree with MacDawg, this is just another reason why I don't install any of this stuff on my Macs

 

[freiheit]

Agreed MacDawg, but props to LittleSnitch for alerting me of the outbound connection from Avast app which I had never agreed to install. Otherwise I might not have known.

 

[maflynn]

Here's the a link talking about the software https://www.avast.com/en-us/secureline-vpn

Its part of the internet security suite and while they should have been perhaps more clear about it. Its a "feature" that allows you to secure your internet connection when on an open wifi connection. Right now its only on windows, but from the links provided by the OP, it seems that it mades it way into the OS X version either knowingly or in error.

I'm not defending the actions as much as explaining the purpose of the application.

 

[freiheit]

Thank you for the explanation, Mike. That's more than I ever got out of either Avast or their forum moderators who essentially just snorted in derision, rolled their eyes and blamed users for being upset about unannounced software being installed and launched without their knowledge.

 

[jman240]

Interesting. Avast was never my first choice for AV anyway...

 

[Ulenspiegel]

Most of these AV software are extremely intrusive. Just the other day I have tried one, it took me several tries to uninstall it completely, finishing the process manually.
As simonsi I have ClamXav (plus Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac, successor of AdwareMedic) which is an on-demand AV app.