Latest version of Avast Antivirus

[Brink]

September 3, 2010

Pre-Release 5.0.673

   Information

What's new
Most notable improvements include:
- solved a problem that could lead to disappearing of the avast service
- Behavior Shield: solved a minor stability issue (aswSP.sys)
- performance and stability improvements in the avast! sandbox
- changes in the engine allowing us to generically detect/block some new types of exploits
- speed improvements in the updater
- IS: fixed a vulnerability in aswFw.sys (Secunia Advisory SA40868)
- IS: upgraded to the new version of antispam engine
- minor changes and fixes in the GUI
- fixes in the screen reader support
- added Danish and Hebrew language packs

And subsequently in 5.0.661:
- solved the vulnerability related to license files (Secunia Advisory SA41109)
- solved a UI crash condition during File system shield detections
- solved a problem with scanning of files with very long path names
- fixed the updater in East-Asian versions of avast running with Windows set to a different locale
- added Urdu language pack

And in 5.0.668:
- solved the pesky memory leak introduced in v5.0.661
- a few cosmetic fixes in the UI
- improvements in the avast sandbox
- improvements in the Outlook antispam plugin (it would be helpful if users of the avast Internet Security could test this one).

And in 5.0.673:
- more improvements in the avast sandbox
- few fixes in the new language modules
- Firewall: improvement in the path name matching (now handling correctly symbolic links etc)
- added trimming of setup.log
- a stability improvement in the avast service

New pre-release build of avast [NOW 5.0.673]

Thank you Aaron. First posted updated.

 

[Airbot]

September 7, 2010

Final released as 5.0.677

   Information

• solved a problem that could lead to disappearing of the avast service
• Behavior Shield: solved a minor stability issue (aswSP.sys) + solved a Win7 issue
• performance and stability improvements in the avast! sandbox
• changes in the engine allowing us to generically detect/block some new types of exploits
• speed improvements in the updater
• IS: fixed a vulnerability in aswFw.sys (Secunia Advisory SA40868)
• solved a vulnerability related to license files (Secunia Advisory SA41109)
• solved a problem with scanning of files with very long path names
• fixed the updater in East-Asian versions of avast running with Windows set to a different locale
• IS: improvements in the Outlook antispam plugin
• IS firewall: improvement in the path name matching
• IS: upgraded to the new version of antispam engine
• minor changes and fixes in the GUI
• fixes in the screen reader support
• fixed a bug where the File System Shield was scanning some files even after being disabled
• added trimming of setup.log
• added Danish, Hebrew and Urdu language packs

avast!

 

[Brink]

Thank you Aaron. First post updated.

 

[rhuds13]

Just download the multi language version and will get latest version.

 

[Phone Man]

Looks like this repairs the DLL loading vulnerability that is the hot topic this month.

"solved a vulnerability related to license files (Secunia Advisory SA41109)"

avast! Antivirus Insecure Library Loading Vulnerability - Advisories - Community

Jim

 

[Corrine]

September 7, 2010

Final released as 5.0.677

Added with Version 5 is the pre-checked option to install Google Chrome, the Google browser. If you are downloading Avast and do not want the install, you need to uncheck the pre-checked options:

 

[Airbot]

Nah, that's been there for quite some time. Near the beginning of the start of version 5 - months ago. And it's the Google Chrome browser, not a toolbar.

 

[Corrine]

Thanks for the correction. I didn't read the pre-checked option close enough. I'll edit my post in case someone doesn't read far enough.

 

[Airbot]

You're welcome.


Here is Avast's blog entry about it, back in December 09.

avast! blog » Avast and Google Chrome

 

[Corrine]

Thank you again. I'll pass that along.

 

[Dave76]

You're welcome.


Here is Avast's blog entry about it, back in December 09.

avast! blog » Avast and Google Chrome

That link pulls a 404 on Chrome but, opens on IE8, strange.

 

[Airbot]

Works just fine for me in Chrome, and other browsers.

 

[SledgeDG]

same here...link works fine in FF 3.6.9 and (Portable)Chrome v6.0.472.53
Got to be a net "Hickup"
-DG

 

[Dave76]

Probably, Chrome has been acting a little strange lately.

Just tried it again, same thing.

Might try the Dev channel, see if it makes a difference.

My internet is lame on it's best days.

Edit:
Chrome Dev 7.0.517.0 same, strange, must be my internet connection.

 

[Phone Man]

New from Avast. "Talk like a pirate". Its a language pack to make Avast talk like a pirate.

avast! Talk like a pirate day

Jim

 

[Phone Man]

"Talk like a Pirate" also changes the wording. Kinda neat.



Jim

 

[Hopalong X]

FYI

Avast's sandbox works on IE 9.


I never could get it to work on IE 8 but it worked on Chrome.

 

[Airbot]

December 6, 2010

Avast Beta 5.1.798 Released. Changelog below.

   Information

Version 5.1.798 is a first beta of the 5.1 and it still misses a few things that will be in the next couple of days. For example, some of the Behavior Shield changes aren't there in this build yet



What's new
Most notable improvements include:
- Boot-time scanner for 64-bit OSes (finally!)
- Behavior Shield improvements - now with more sensors and able to detect exact offenders*
- Improved cleaning of infected computers
- Improved anti-rootkit engine - now capable of dealing with the latest TDL variants, for example
- Web Shield improvements (both stability and performance related)
- Mail and Web Shields not hosted in separate NT services anymore, resulting in much faster starts
- IS: new version of antispam engine
- Sound packs (more info coming later)

*The Behavior Shield functionality is still incomplete in this build. And even in the final v5.1, it will work only in "passive mode", which means that the new sensors will be active but won't be stopping the attacks, just reporting them to our backend infrastructure (unless you have opted out from the avast! community membership). This is to allow us to collect enough data before enabling the real thing in Q1 2011.

** INTRODUCING: BETA VERSION OF AVAST 5.1 [NOW 5.1.798] **

 

[Dinesh]

Wow Finally boot time scanner in 64 bit. Thanks for the update Aaron.

 

[SlackerITGuy]

Nice. Thanks for the update mate.

Can't wait for the stable build.