About a half-hour ago, Avast! Professional antivirus started identifying almost every website I visit as a malware risk and killing the HTTP connections. GZip support seems to be related in some way. I'm going on the assumption that the virus definitions I grabbed around that time were glitchy, so I'm trying to grab a new version, but the update server seems offline. The web shield is the glitchy component, by the way. Is anyone else seeing this?

Edit: I've seen confirmation on the CNet and Steam forums that it's not just me. Until Avast releases a fix, do this to resolve the problem:

1) Open the Avast! control panel
2) Find shields -> Web Shield
3) Click Stop and choose "1 hour" (or "until computer is restarted")
4) Be sure to start it again when Avast! issues a fix!

I haven't used anything other than Microsoft Security Essentials and a stand alone scanner like Spybot Search and Destroy or Malwarebytes in a long time. Personally I don't see any reason to, it's in Microsoft's best interest to make sure their own firewall and real time protection work well while not slowing things down so I see no reason to use anything else.

Jonimus, I agree that Security Essentials is decent, but in all my time with Avast!, only a single virus has gotten past it, and it was able to find and eradicate that virus very quickly. I got a free Professional license last December from Avast! on Facebook, and I am happy to stick with it for now. I'd like them to resolve this glitch quickly, though; false positives stopping my web browsing are not fun.

I put Avast! on just about every computer I touch, and I've yet to hear anyone complain. In fact, the first time he heard the voice, my big burly Italian uncle Victor actually smiled, and that NEVER happens!

If they have automatic updates configured, they're going to be complaining about this glitch very quickly. It basically makes web browsing impossible by identifying most sites as hosting malware.

I just let Windows Update handle installing MSE, and let it go from there, if the user doesn't run Windows/Microsoft Update, then no good AV software will save them anyway.

I think your glitch is only with the professional edition. I only use the free edition so far, and I haven't had any troubles.

That's true, but if they don't have updates configured, I think there's a good probability they either don't have any AV/AMW (anti-malware) software installed at all, or that their AV is out-of-date.

I used to use Avast a lot, and had a ton of good luck with it, but I use Security Essentials now. A shame someone goofed with the update, hopefully they can issue a repair soon.

For what it's worth, I can't seem to even access their update servers to get a new version; I think their servers are being hammered by users trying to get new (correct malware) definitions. tifreak8x, what made you switch?

Well if I'm going to pay for AV and firewall software, yes I know you got it for free Kerm, eset nod32 has astounded me with the things it caught for my dad's work. I was helping the IT staff, well their one IT guy with some network upgrades and I was amazed at all the things it found, including those pesky Facebook tracking cookie proxies, and it caught it in real time, no extra scan required. Not to mention they have it running on everything from Win98 SE to Win 7 SP1 all controllable from the main domain server. It was pretty impressive I must say.

Well, at least they didn't attempted to delete important Windows files resulting of bluescreening every computer like AVG did once.

And I love Avast.

Hmm, that's one of the antivirus software packages you don't hear about that often. How costly is it? Sounds quite impressive, though! On the subject of the current Avast web scanner fiasco, word on in the Twitterverse is that Avast! is working to find and fix the problem, but still no fix pushed out. If you don't have the update yet, be sure to temporarily turn off Avast! updates!

The bad version: 110411-1

Edit: The Avast! update servers seem to be returning 403 errors now. Yay overload.

I use ESET NOD32 in conjunction with MSE on my main desktop, Gehirn. I, too, am astounded by it. I have yet to be hit by a (noticeable) virus, it is quick to real-time catch threats, and it isn't particularly resource intensive (although, I *do* have a hyper-threading dual core processor and 8 gigs of DDR3 RAM if that helps at all )

I've been using Spybot along side windows Firewall, and now MSE since I've had my own computer. For most users it isn't worth the effort or $$ to pay for AV software. I've seen viruses get through just about every real time scanner so having a good back up tool like spybot, malwarebytes or similar is really the best defense. Especially because nothing can stop users from clicking ok, no matter how many warning dialogs they give you.

Tsukasa, that's excellent, very good to know. On the Avast! front, still 403 errors from the update server. On the plus side, 185 guests are reading this topic!

So far i have ran into only false positives with avast, nothing really serious resulted from it. ( a quick report either by email (supplying the file) or posting at the avast forums seems to get issues solved). running program version 6.0.1, and definition version 110412-0.

never have been infected when using avast yet, i have been while using other AV software (stupid Google directing you to a injection site).

I have been infected when using AVG, nod32, MSE, and a few others.

I use avast on top of using spybot S&D and all is good.

I have seen another bad definition update sometime last year (cant remember what program or program type triggered it to go off), it was quickly rectified. i would rather deal with a false positive then a real infection. when i get a alert and it says you have been infected by *generic* i always send the avast team the file avast reported just in case.

but anyways i haven't ran into any hits this year.

Anyway, here's the final post-mortem from the official Avast! blog about the false positive issue:

https://blog.avast.com/2011/04/11/false-positive-issue-with-virus-defs-110411-1/