Avira blocks security tool and struggles with memory leak

Avira's WebGuard anti-virus proxy is currently blocking access to the beta version of security tool Secunia PSI 2.0, which identifies security vulnerabilities in installed applications and, for some programs, automatically ensures that the latest version is installed. On being informed of the problem by our colleagues at heise Security, Avira was quick to respond, "The false alarm is fixed in the latest update which is now available. The update will be distributed automatically. Where the interval between updates would mean a long wait, users can also initiate the update manually."

Two months ago, the Avira engine raised a similar false alarm on the web site of messaging service Twitter.

Users running AntiVir in Windows XP are currently facing a further problem – after installing AntiVir Service Pack 1, many uses are complaining that the software now has an almost insatiable hunger for memory. According to reports from users, the application's monitoring service fills up the kernel memory until the system becomes unusable, even to the point of no longer being able to be shut down. According to Avira, the problem can be mitigated by manually deactivating the faulty monitoring service. This does, however, make it easier for malware to shut down processes belonging to the anti-virus software.

Dirk Knop, Technical Editor at Avira, has assured our colleagues at heise Security that Avira is already working on a solution, "We have now succeeded in reconstructing the memory leak and are putting together a patch. This still needs to go through quality control and is expected to be released in early December."

(crve)