Stop Using Avast and AVG Plugins Right Now

[demmiblue]

Two browsers have yanked Avast and AVG online security extensions from their web stores after a report revealed that they were unnecessarily sucking up a ton of data about users’ browsing history.

Wladimir Palant, the creator behind Adblock Plus, initially surfaced the issue—which extends to Avast Online Security and Avast SafePrice as well as Avast-owned AVG Online Security and AVG SafePrice extensions—in a blog post back in October but this week flagged the issue to the companies themselves. In response, both Mozilla and Opera yanked the extensions from their stores. However, as of Wednesday, the extensions curiously remained in Google’s extensions store.

Using dev tools to examine network traffic, Palant was able to determine that the extensions were collecting an alarming amount of data about users’ browsing history and activity, including URLs, where you navigated from, whether the page was visited in the past, the version of browser you’re using, country code, and, if the Avast Antivirus is installed, the OS version of your device, among other data. Palant argued the data collection far exceeded what was necessary for the extensions to perform their basic jobs.

At the time of Palant’s original post, the company’s privacy policy appeared to include language around this data collection that has now seemingly disappeared from the text. However, according to a version of the page archived in the Wayback Machine on November 4, that language read:

https://gizmodo.com/stop-using-avast-and-avg-plugins-right-now-1840213548?utm_campaign=socialflow_gizmodo_twitter&utm_source=gizmodo_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

[dalton99a]

1. Look at what Avast did to CCleaner

They're shamelessly monetizing it using a little back door - to override update preferences and show popup ads

[at140]

4. I removed CCleaner for the reasons you stated

and now using REVO installer which does many cleanup functions as well.

[yonder]

7. CCleaner got a bit hinky a while back so I uninstalled it. Now I know why

[jayfish]

2. If You're Not Paying For A Product...

you are the product. There is no such thing as "free".

[A HERETIC I AM]

11. Extraordinarily well put

[at140]

3. Since 1995 I have operated without ANY security software with ZERO damage

Every time I installed those virus protection programs, my computer slowed down.
Finally it dawned on me, why not use 2 separate computers, one for all sorts of browsing,
and the other computer limited to accessing my 3 or 4 web-sites where I do financial transactions.

Since my financial computer is NEVER used for browsing or emails or downloading anything except windows updates,
I never had any virus attacks in 20+ years on that computer. Primary reason might be this computer is on for only a few minutes every month. And the large banks and brokers I connect to seem to be safe places to connect.

On my browsing computer I pay bills from utilities etc. If someone steals my password to pay a utility bill, I am fine with them paying my future bills. I use this computer for surfing the net with abandon. I did get virus infections on that computer a few times, including the dreaded Ransom ware attacks. So I smile, reformat the hard drive, install the operating system and other programs and the computer is good to go like new.

[defacto7]

5. It's nice to read that at least someone is aware of Internet hazards

and takes thoughtful precautions.

[hunter]

9. Microsoft Windows security is now generally adequate...

... so long as one keeps Microsoft security features up to date and doesn't go downloading software from untrustworthy sites.

There's little need for separate security products anymore which is probably why AVG went to the dark side.

This wasn't true in the days of Windows 3, 95, 98, and ME.

I have three computers.

My desktop computer runs Linux.

The computer I use most frequently is an inexpensive Chromebook. On that machine I've sold my soul to google and trust them to maintain some kind of security as they track on my browsing habits, mostly DU, various news sites, Wikipedia, and some tightly focused technical sites.

My laptop is a dual-boot Linux/Windows machine. Mostly I use Linux on that so the Windows installation is minimal. When I got the laptop, it had been reset to "factory original" Windows settings and it took many hours to update itself over our DSL internet connection. The Linux installation was quick in comparison.

As for banking, I'm a Luddite. I'll pay bills online, but for anything else I visit the nice people who work at our Credit Union.

[pecosbob]

12. The only secure internet connection is one that is unplugged

The goal should be to minimize your footprint and your exposure at every opportunity.

[at140]

14. Like I said, been using NO Virus protection since 1995

and done 2-4 transactions every month with my bank, and my 2 brokers.
Not a single virus attack in 24 years.

You are exactly right about minimizing the footprint. I have done that by using a separate computer for my transactions at bank & brokers. That computer is turned on barely for 20-25 minutes in a month.

Used computers are dirt cheap on eBay.

My other computer is for every thing else. If the crooks hack my credit card log in's, no problem. Law covers everyone with credit card transactions. If they hack my electric utility login, go ahead and pay my future bills. I can format the hard drive and all bad stuff disappears totally, and when the operating system is installed via CD, the computer runs superfast, like when it was brand new.

[okieinpain]

15. Vast majority of folks don't know how

to re-install software. Most folks won’t even know they are infected.

[at140]

16. True dat.....eom

[defacto7]

6. One thing missing from this article is

that all of the mentioned browsing information is captured by every site you visit. Getting that browsing info from visitors is automatic if the site wants it; It's all in the logs. The issue here is that a 3ed party security app is also collecting it.

Disable java script on sites you don't know and enable it if you want the bells and whistles. That can thwart much though not all of the data collection.

[pecosbob]

13. Disabling scripts is generally a good idea even if it limits your access to some features

Script blockers like NoScript allow you to set temporary permissions for pages so that you can enable features as needed.

[TheBlackAdder]

17. FireFox w/NoScript, uBlock, DuckDuckGo's Privacy Essentials & EFF's Badger cuts all ads/tracking out

.

For more anonymity, use a VPN and when opening a Firefox window, select 'New private window'

.

[defacto7]

18. Those are great tools.

I use the Tor browser on Tails OS. That's about as far off the grid as you can get. It's not for everyone though.

[yonder]

8. Thanks for this OP

[LeftInTX]

10. They use those plug ins to try to sell you upgrades

"Your IP address is exposed!"