Avira Free 15 and Firefox browser extensions

[the-edmeister]

I am still using Avira Free AV 14.0.7.468 11/24/2014 due to problems I had with the automatic update in November.

I am wondering if the new version 15 includes any Firefox extension add-ons - like Avira SafeSearch, Avira SearchFree Toolbar plus Web Protection, Avira Browser Safety?
If so, can anyone verify that they were (easily) able to disable those extensions thru Avira, or remove them?
If not, I'll have to hack the WindowXP Registry to keep Firefox from finding those extensions, because disabling those extensions thru the Firefox Add-0ns Manager is out of the question due to the ridiculous number of Profiles I have - triple digits the last time I counted them all - on my main Logon Account and 5 in my Admin Logon Account.

I have been using Avira Free specifically because it doesn't include Firefox extensions of that nature, other than the 2013 version where there was one Firefox extension, that was subsequently removed a month or two after version 13 was released.

Thanks, Ed

 

[yigido]

Avira Free Antivirus has not a add-on or a toolbar. On the latest versions, I did not see any toolbar (Ask) or add-on installition.
Maybe you saw Avira Browser Safety add-on for Firefox. You can get it from HERE. It is not included into installers. Avira Browser Safety is one of the great add-on on the market imho.
But you can able to remove and disable it from your Firefox. There is no compulsion!

 

[the-edmeister]

I answered a support question earlier today at the Mozilla Firefox support forum where the user claimed to be using Avira Free AV, yet his Troubleshooting Information showed all three of those extensions as being installed in Firefox. I guess my impression of that users computer knowledge level was accurate, thinking that he probably has the full, paid version rather than the Free version which I have been using.

Then I started to wonder if Avira added those three extensions in the Free version of 15, before I got around to installing the new version on my own PC.

Thanks for your verification.

 

[yigido]

I answered a support question earlier today at the Mozilla Firefox support forum where the user claimed to be using Avira Free AV, yet his Troubleshooting Information showed all three of those extensions as being installed in Firefox. I guess my impression of that users computer knowledge level was accurate, thinking that he probably has the full, paid version rather than the Free version which I have been using.

Then I started to wonder if Avira added those three extensions in the Free version of 15, before I got around to installing the new version on my own PC.

Thanks for your verification.

Into the online installers Avira offers Dropbox, but I always recommend offline installers and please always follow the "custom" installition types.

 

[conceptualclarity]

Welcome to Malware Tips, edmeister. What are your problems with the Mozilla extensions from Avira?

 

[the-edmeister]

Thanks for your question - sorry about the 2 month delay in my responding to your question. I don't check that email address often enough, I guess.

So far I have avoided getting any Avira extensions for Firefox thus far, so I have had no problems. iirc, the Avira 14 Free version (or maybe it was the 13 version) started out with a Firefox add-on, but it needed to be installed through an Admin account. Since I didn't log into an Admin account during the short time period that Firefox extension was available, I never saw what it did or how it might have affected Firefox. But I did read the uproar at the Avira support forums about it being added to the Free version of Avira; a lot of "unhappy campers" killed that idea within a few weeks, as I recall. Just posted here to ask if that was something Avira was trying again.

IMO extensions included with many security suites provide features that are already built into Firefox, such as "Safe Browsing". Then the issue comes up with the pre-release versions of Firefox that I use / test; the AV vendors have enough trouble keeping their stuff up-to-date with Firefox 6 week Release schedule and no one provides a version for Beta builds, much less the Aurora / Developer builds and the Nightly builds which I also "test" verify potential Bugs, the best I can.

All I want out of Avira Free (for personal use) is basic anti-virus protection. If I wanted more features I would pay for a "security suite" that has more features. BTW, I am retired and spend too much of my time (LOL) helping other users fix their Firefox installations over at support.mozilla.org and see far too many people having issues with security extensions for Firefox not being updated in a timely manner - like when Firefox updates.


Ed

 

[Ink]

It's nothing new that add-ons become incompatible with Firefox, upon a new release of security products, for example, Norton and Kaspersky.

Avira Free Antivirus 2015:

• No Web Protection (aka Toolbar) as this was discontinued.
• No Avira Browser Safety (see below)
• Bundled with Avira Online Essentials (for screenshots) - An Avira account is NOT required.
• Bundled with Dropbox in some regions.

Avira Browser Safety is a separate browser extension available for Chrome (available), Firefox (currently in beta), Opera (available) and Internet Explorer (currently in beta).
https://betacenter.avira.com/callout/?callid=D55041325B9B400895F934BF8EA3C0F9
I do not recommend Avira Browser Safety, as it reads the sites you visit for online shopping.

Avira SafeSearch and SafeSearch Plus lists website safety ratings in search results - optional.
http://malwaretips.com/threads/avira-safesearch-plus-for-browsers.43602/

Avira Free 2015 PC Mag Review: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2474683,00.asp