Advice Request Which Antivirus has no HTTP Scanning?

[Spartan]

Other than Panda Free Antivirus, and Avast Free which you can choose to install without the web shield, which Antivirus is there that has no web protection/HTTP Scanning?

I don't want anything touching my internet connection just a file scanner.

I know you can disable HTTP scanning in a lot of them but then you get a warning in the antivirus to reenable it which I don't want to see (ie. ESET NOD32,)

 

[upnorth]

Most major AVs even if you can disable/not install their own browser extension, usually have other modules and features that interacts with Windows firewall etc. Several AVs also have their own cloud services.

 

[silversurfer]

I know you can disable HTTP scanning in a lot of them but then you get a warning in the antivirus to reenable it which I don't want to see (ie. ESET NOD32,)

Kaspersky Free, there it's possible turn-off fully the web-protection component AND also the warnings can be disabled via "ignore" option available on mainpage of UI...

 

[Spartan]

Most major AVs even if you can disable/not install their own browser extension, usually have other modules and features that interacts with Windows firewall etc. Several AVs also have their own cloud services.

and I'm guessing even Windows Defender does that due to Smar Screen Filter. So really I see only Panda Free and Avast (if you don't install is webshield) which don't affect anything with regards to the internet connection

 

[Spartan]

Kaspersky Free, there it's possible turn-off fully the web-protection component AND also the warnings can be disabled via "ignore" option available on mainpage of UI...

great! I'll try that.

 

[Arequire]

and I'm guessing even Windows Defender does that due to Smar Screen Filter. So really I see only Panda Free and Avast (if you don't install is webshield) which don't affect anything with regards to the internet connection

Defender doesn't have any web protection by itself; it relies on Edge's integrated SmartScreen. (There is an optional feature that provides system-wide malicious URL blocking, but it's disabled by default.)

I believe Avira's free offering also doesn't have native web protection and relies on an extension.

 

[Spartan]

Defender doesn't have any web protection by itself; it relies on Edge's integrated SmartScreen. (There is an optional feature that provides system-wide malicious URL blocking, but it's disabled by default.)

I believe Avira's free offering also doesn't have native web protection and relies on an extension.

Thanks for the clarification about Windows Defender. With Avast free, during installation, you can select custom then de-select the webshield.

I just tried Kaspersky Free and I was able to turn off web protection and network protection then ignore the warning so it doesn't keep popping up

 

[SeriousHoax]

Thanks for the clarification about Windows Defender. With Avast free, during installation, you can select custom then de-select the webshield.

I just tried Kaspersky Free and I was able to turn off web protection and network protection then ignore the warning so it doesn't keep popping up

Just keep in mind that Kaspersky (also ESET) have many signatures that are tied to their web protection engine only and won't get detected by their file based protection signatures. So if there's a malicious script that the browser run to attempt something malicious, they may not get detected by Kaspersky & ESET when HTTPS scanning is off. Some other AV products which don't have MITMing for HTTPS scanning but have file based signatures for those scripts may detect them on browser cache or some other ways, but Kaspersky and ESET won't. That's because they don't expect you to turn off HTTPS scanning. Their product wasn't designed to be used without it. They separate the file based and web based signatures to improve performance (Kaspersky analyst told me).
Also weirdly, I have seen Kaspersky not detecting some known malicious site and malware CnC server without HTTPS scanning. They were detected on Virustotal and Opentip, but not on their product when HTTPS scanning is off.
Avast and Bitdefender don't have separate signatures for file and web based protection, it seems. I can not guarantee with 100% certainty but haven't been able to find something to prove otherwise. HTTPS scanning can be turned off in Avast without losing too much of the protection, I think. In Bitdefender, disabling "Encrypted web scan" completely disable filtering of HTTPS traffic, so web protection becomes almost useless.
So, only turn off Kaspersky's HTTPS scanning if you are comfortable with losing a certain amount of protection.
Edit: HTTPS scanning can be replaced by Web scanning/Web shield/Web protection, etc. but the reasoning and explanation will remain the same.

 

[Scupper]

I believe from previous discussions, the following three do not employ HTTPS inspection / certificate injection: Microsoft Defender, Emsisoft, and F-Secure.

 

[upnorth]

I just tried Kaspersky Free and I was able to turn off web protection and network protection then ignore the warning so it doesn't keep popping up

Glad your HTTP question was solved.

 

[oldschool]

and I'm guessing even Windows Defender does that due to Smar Screen Filter.

Smartscreen is cloud-based and doesn't interfere with HTTPS.

 

[Kuttz]

Just use an Unsupported Browser that will result in web scanning dysfunctional. This was the case with NOD32 last time I played with. I noticed this phenomena while using Brave Browser and NOD32. NOD32 do not officially supported Brave browser back then when I tried. While running various AMTSO Security Features Check Tools, I noticed while running Brave browser, NOD32 fails to detect drive-by downloads, phishing pages etc in real time and only flags the file as malware if I actually download something to the PC and then it get detected by the NOD32s file scanner instead of its web scanning. The advantage with this approach is that you can normally use the AV without disabling any of its features. Not sure if this works with other Anti Virus products.

 

[Spartan]

Just keep in mind that Kaspersky (also ESET) have many signatures that are tied to their web protection engine only and won't get detected by their file based protection signatures. So if there's a malicious script that the browser run to attempt something malicious, they may not get detected by Kaspersky & ESET when HTTPS scanning is off. Some other AV products which don't have MITMing for HTTPS scanning but have file based signatures for those scripts may detect them on browser cache or some other ways, but Kaspersky and ESET won't. That's because they don't expect you to turn off HTTPS scanning. Their product wasn't designed to be used without it. They separate the file based and web based signatures to improve performance (Kaspersky analyst told me).
Also weirdly, I have seen Kaspersky not detecting some known malicious site and malware CnC server without HTTPS scanning. They were detected on Virustotal and Opentip, but not on their product when HTTPS scanning is off.
Avast and Bitdefender don't have separate signatures for file and web based protection, it seems. I can not guarantee with 100% certainty but haven't been able to find something to prove otherwise. HTTPS scanning can be turned off in Avast without losing too much of the protection, I think. In Bitdefender, disabling "Encrypted web scan" completely disable filtering of HTTPS traffic, so web protection becomes almost useless.
So, only turn off Kaspersky's HTTPS scanning if you are comfortable with losing a certain amount of protection.

Right, the reason for this thread to be honest is because I upload a lot of files and when I have ESET installed, upload speed takes a significant hit and takes ages compared to when I have Avast or F-Secure installed or no AV. I hate how if I disable HTTP Scanning in ESET the whole icon turns orange as if something is wrong with the system messing with my OCD.
I might just install Kaspersky Free or F-Secure Antivirus which I have a license for valid until 2027 (luckily extended my license before they announce that they will only be selling the full suite with the Firewall from now on)

 

[ForgottenSeer 98186]

Right, the reason for this thread to be honest is because I upload a lot of files

If you do not have to use a browser for the file upload, then don't. Use an upload utility that does not use HTTPS. Use FTP or SFTP.

You have options. You just need to find one that works for you personally, and then you can keep ESET.

 

[Spartan]

On a side note, I never see Emsisoft Anti-Malware mentioned, does it have an HTTP scanner as well?

 

[SeriousHoax]

On a side note, I never see Emsisoft Anti-Malware mentioned, does it have an HTTP scanner as well?

It can block malicious connections system-wide but doesn't use MITMing proxy to scan website contents.

 

[Spartan]

It can block malicious connections system-wide but doesn't use MITMing proxy to scan website contents.

so still has impact on web connections

 

[Scirious]

Right, the reason for this thread to be honest is because I upload a lot of files and when I have ESET installed, upload speed takes a significant hit and takes ages compared to when I have Avast or F-Secure installed or no AV. I hate how if I disable HTTP Scanning in ESET the whole icon turns orange as if something is wrong with the system messing with my OCD.
I might just install Kaspersky Free or F-Secure Antivirus which I have a license for valid until 2027 (luckily extended my license before they announce that they will only be selling the full suite with the Firewall from now on)

There is no firewall in F-Secure. They use Windows Firewall.

 

[a090]

There is no firewall in F-Secure. They use Windows Firewall.

Can confirm @Spartan. As a recent convert to F-Secure from Defender (and ESET before that), the following is true:

1. The new F-Secure Internet Security (successor to F-Secure SAFE) has no firewall component. Supposedly it adds rules to the Windows Firewall to make it more resilent to attack and/or shutdown. But I can’t confirm that. @Shadowra will likely know the answer to this. I use Windows Firewall Control (WFC) and killed all the previous Windows Firewall rules so if F-Secure added any, I didn’t see them. All connections on my system have to ask permission manually to connect due to WFC. And yes, both F-Secure and WFC work amazingly well together. Big thanks to @piquiteco for helping set it up for me and answering all of my niche and out of the ordinary questions.
2. F-Secure Total also does not include a firewall. The difference between Total and Internet Security mentioned above is Total bundles the F-Secure VPN and the Password Manager into Internet Security’s interface, and calls the whole thing Total. But no firewall.
3. F-Secure does not install a root certificate for MITM your browser connections for HTTPS scanning. The way F-Secure checks HTTPS connections is via the browser extension. If you don’t want it, you can disable it. The only downside is you lose browsing protection as a whole (phishing / malware pages likely won’t be blocked) but the malware itself, should you encounter any, will be blocked by F-Secure’s active protection once you try to download it.

 

[Spartan]

Can confirm @Spartan. As a recent convert to F-Secure from Defender (and ESET before that), the following is true:

1. The new F-Secure Internet Security (successor to F-Secure SAFE) has no firewall component. Supposedly it adds rules to the Windows Firewall to make it more resilent to attack and/or shutdown. But I can’t confirm that. @Shadowra will likely know the answer to this. I use Windows Firewall Control (WFC) and killed all the previous Windows Firewall rules so if F-Secure added any, I didn’t see them. All connections on my system have to ask permission manually to connect due to WFC. And yes, both F-Secure and WFC work amazingly well together. Big thanks to @piquiteco for helping set it up for me and answering all of my niche and out of the ordinary questions.
2. F-Secure Total also does not include a firewall. The difference between Total and Internet Security mentioned above is Total bundles the F-Secure VPN and the Password Manager into Internet Security’s interface, and calls the whole thing Total. But no firewall.
3. F-Secure does not install a root certificate for MITM your browser connections for HTTPS scanning. The way F-Secure checks HTTPS connections is via the browser extension. If you don’t want it, you can disable it. The only downside is you lose browsing protection as a whole (phishing / malware pages likely won’t be blocked) but the malware itself, should you encounter any, will be blocked by F-Secure’s active protection once you try to download it.

Well that's good news, I actually have a 3 year license for F-Secure AntiVirus only