Technical Bulletins from AVG (AU/NZ)

AVG 9.0 - conflicting applications

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:00:00 GMT

Melbourne, 12 January 2009 - This is a list of applications that are known to be in conflict with one or more components in AVG 9.0:

Better File Rename

Issue:
Older versions of this application cause a crash of Windows Explorer with active AVG 9.0 Shell Extension Test option, when user uses right-click.

Solution:
Update the application from developers website.

BlueCoat K9 Web Protection

Issue:
Internet connection might be blocked completely or partially. AVG Firewall component might be blocking some of BlueCoat K9 features.

Solution:
This issue occurs when both applications are running simultaneously. To ensure correct function of your AVG Firewall please uninstall the BlueCoat K9 Web Protection.

Eset Smart Security 4

Issue:
Computer is slowed down or crashes repeatedly.

Solution:
It is generally not recommended to use multiple security solutions on one system. They will compete for resources which may result in slowdown, crashes, or in no protection at all. We recommend uninstalling Eset Smart Security 4 (see FAQ 2277 for remover application).

Microsoft Security Essentials

Issue:
Computer is slowed down or crashes repeatedly.

PC MACLAN

Issue:
BSOD crash when browsing shared MAC folders using PC MACLAN software, caused by one of MACLAN components which is not compatible with AVG Resident Shield driver.

Solution:
To eliminate the issue, it is necessary to uninstall the PC MACLAN application.

System Protect

Issue:
AVG cannot be installed, or is installed incorrectly

Solution:
During the installation of AVG, turn off the System Protect. You may also need to create an exception for AVG later.

Upgrading from AVG 8.5 to AVG 9.0

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:00:00 GMT

If you are having trouble upgrading from AVG 8.5 to AVG 9.0, please follow the steps below:

If you have not already done so, please uninstall any/all AVG programs from the computer as follows:

- Click on "Start" -> "Programs" ("All Programs") -> "AVG 8.x" or "AVG 9.0" -> Click the "Uninstall AVG" item.

- Follow the prompts to remove the software and restart your computer.

If you receive errors or cannot uninstall AVG 8.5 or 9.0 for any reason, please proceed to step 2
Please download and run the AVG Remover tool:

- Click the link below and when asked, click on "Save". We recommend saving to your desktop.

http://www.avg.com/filedir/util/support/avgremover_en.exe

- When the download is finished, click on the "Open" or "Run" button in the download dialog box or, if there is no such screen open, locate the file on your computer (eg. on your Desktop) and double-click on it. Detailed information will be displayed on your screen.

- Restart your computer
Delete the folder AVG 8/9:

- Some files or folders could be hidden by default. This can be changed in Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Folder Options -> View tab -> Show hidden files and folders. (The location and names can vary, depending on the operating system version).

If you are using Windows XP/2000, navigate to the following location to find and delete AVG 8 folder
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data

If you are using Windows Vista, navigate to the following location to find and delete AVG 8 folder
C:\program data\

- Restart your computer
Now, please download the latest AVG 9.0 setup file from our website by clicking the link below:

http://www.avg.com.au/download/home-security/avg-internet-security-9-0/

- Click on 'Download AVG Now' and when prompted, click the "Save" button and choose a location, where the installation file should be stored. We recommend saving the file to the Desktop (you can do this by clicking on the "Desktop" button on the left hand side of the "Save As" dialog box).

- Locate the downloaded AVG installation file, eg. on your Desktop (it has a four color square icon and its name starts with avg_...) and double click it. Now follow the installation wizard to install AVG 9.0. You will need to enter your AVG Licence Number when asked.

If there is any issue with installing AVG, we need the AVG installation log file to find out why AVG cannot be correctly installed on your computer. To send us the file, please do the following:

Go to Start menu -> Run... (or use the "Start Search" field) -> type %tmp% -> press the "OK" button. Please find a file called "Davg9inst.log" in the Explorer's window that will appear on the screen and send it to us (if the file is bigger than 10MB, please pack it into .zip archive).

Thank you for your cooperation, we appreciate it. If you have further questions or issues, please do not hesitate to contact us.

iTunes reported as a Trojan by AVG - How to Fix

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Saturday, 25th July 2009 - Unfortunately, a recent virus database update resulted in iTunes being detected as a Trojan by AVG security products. We can confirm that it was a false alarm. AVG immediately released a new virus database update (definition file 270.13.29/2260) that corrected this issue.

If you are having problems, please update your AVG and check your iTunes again.

If you find that iTunes is not working after you update AVG, you can restore the deleted iTunes files from the AVG Virus Vault by following the steps below:

Open the AVG user interface.
Choose "Virus Vault" option from the "History" menu.
Locate the iTunes file that was incorrectly removed and select it (one click).
Click on the "Restore" button.

We are sorry for the inconvenience.

AVG LinkScanner and Microsoft Bing Search Results

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Melbourne, Wednesday, 10th June 2009 - It seems some people have already switched to using Microsoft Bing as their preferred search engine. Some have asked us why AVG LinkScanner is not displaying safety ratings next to the search link results MS Bing returns.

Well, it's because the AVG LinkScanner Search-Shield component that displays those safety rating markers doesn't support Bing - yet! The AVG Technologies team are working on this and we expect to see Bing supported in a future update.

Stay calm, because you are still fully protected. The AVG LinkScanner Active Surf-Shield component still scans the page behind any link you click on in MS Bing search results. If the web page is poisoned, LinkScanner warns you not to open it.

AVG LinkScanner detects threats at the only time it matters — before you arrive at a web page.

Click on.

New Win32/Virut variant

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Friday, 13 February 2009 - There is a new variant of the polymorphic file-infector "Win32/Virut" in the wild. Comparing it to previous variants, this version contains a lot of improvements especially in the polymorphic engine. We think that the current wave of infections consists of a few slightly different variants as the author tests new code.

"Virut" infects all executable files on the computer and shared volumes very quickly. The infection uses an EPO technique which means it's pretty hard to disinfect. On every start it injects its own code into the winlogon process as winlogon tries to connect to servers on the Internet. It serves as an IRC backdoor which allows downloads and executes any file so the author can put new malware onto the computer.

"Virut" contacts an IRC server on irc.zief.pl. To allow outbound connections, it adds a new exception to Windows firewall for the winlogon process. It also modifies the hosts file and then searches for HTML files on disc and adds an IFRAME pointing to zief.pl/rc, where there is a script downloading a malware item.

Conficker/Downadup worm

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 13:00:00 GMT

22 January 2008 - The AVG Technologies Labs saw a large amount of infections from the Conficker/Downadup worm last month. This worm is also known as Kido and is able to spread very quickly because it uses 3 effective ways to propagate:

Exploits a Windows vulnerability MS08-067. The patch was released a long time ago but there are still a lot of unpatched computers.
Exploiting network shares with weak or no passwords. The worm contains a list of common passwords - a good reason to use strong passwords.
Copies itself to removable media, usually USB sticks. Using the AutoRun function (creates autorun.inf file)

The first versions of Conficker/Downadup were seen at the start of December 2008 and until now the AVG Technologies Labs have observed more than 300 different variants. All known variants are detected and healed by AVG. Besides spreading, the worm can also download other malware and can redirect legitimate URLs access to various other malicious webpages.

We strongly recommend that you install all of the latest security patches for your version of Windows. Microsoft have also released a special KB article here.

Download the latest AVG update for maximum protection.