Why you don't need Avira Browser Safety

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Ink

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Read full article: Is Avira Browser Safety a Necessary Extension?

I understand there are many die-hard users of Avira and other Web Protection add-on's, so I advise to read the article before saying it's garbage. This article was posted in February 2017 and features or functionality of Avira Browser Safety may have changed since. However, I do agree with most arguments made and I find them a valid reason not to use or be dependent on ABS.

  • Tracking Protection
You won’t find many options to configure using Browser Safety. Click the extension’s icon on your toolbar and you’ll see that it automatically blocks all kinds of tracking around the web. ABS also enables Do Not Track in your browser, but most sites don’t honor this.

  • Web Protection
In Google and Bing searches, you’ll see a little a green check or red X to show if a site is safe or not. If you try to visit a website that ABS thinks is unsafe, it will block your access. Clicking Take me away! redirects you to Avira SafeSearch. This is an inferior search engine that still includes unsafe sites in its results page for some reason.

Having the extension block unsafe sites and label them in Google is mostly redundant. Modern browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Edge know which sites contain malware and already warn you when accessing them. Google is smart about dangerous sites and won’t recommend them at the top of its results.

  • PUP Protection
We downloaded uTorrent, a BitTorrent client known for bundling in loads of garbage, and didn’t hear a peep out of ABS. It didn’t have a problem with CutePDF either, which bundles similar offers.

ABS’ supposed blocking of software that includes extra crapware didn’t work at all. You can instead circumvent unsafe downloads by only downloading software from reputable sources and using Unchecky to automatically deselect bundled software offers.

  • Price Comparison
When shopping on a compatible site, Avira will provide links to the same product available for less elsewhere. It promises that sites it links to are always safe, and offers coupons to try on the site you’re using. These coupons looked like a copied and pasted list right from RetailMeNot or a similar website. It offered deals like “25 percent off appliances storewide” instead of coupon codes.

You Don’t Need Avira Browser Safety
As we’ve seen, Avira Browser Safety offers little to the end user. Even worse than the above considerations are the past privacy and security concerns that antivirus extensions have caused.
Antivirus browser extensions can interfere with your browser’s normal functions and even snoop on your traffic, like Superfish did.

"Assuming you’re using a good antivirus, you can skip ABS without concern because your antivirus program watches for online threats just fine."

There are better extensions for tracking protection and price comparisons, modern browsers already protect you from unsafe sites, and the crapware blocking by this extension doesn’t even work. If you really want a second opinion on what’s safe or not, you could do far worse than this tool, but common sense is a much better shield.
 

Xsjx

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In Google and Bing searches, you’ll see a little a green check or red X
They are using 2 versions of this abs does not have this.

Also This is not a trustable website..

Also for me no price comparing?
 

Ink

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Ink

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I am Using vivaldie,Google/bing.
They made some valid facts about Avira Browser Safety, which applies to other security add-on's, so don't be offended. It's why I don't depend on these types of browser add-ons.

By default, Avira Price Comparison is enabled | How It Works
upload_2017-4-2_19-49-13.png
Concerned about Privacy? They state no PID is collected which is good news.

I would not have posted the article if MakeUseOf was not safe.
 

Arequire

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I agree it's not necessary per se but it's nice to have to augment your browser/AV's malicious site blocking ability and Avira's generally pretty good at detecting malware sites (phishing sites are a different story). Google's safe browsing is fine but I've found it's generally pretty slow in blocking access to new malicious/phishing sites.

Other points are valid.
  • Price comparison is only available for Firefox users and you'd be better off shopping around yourself.
  • Like the author said, PUP protection can be done better by something like Unchecky, manual deselection or your AV's own PUP detection.
  • Tracking protection is mediocre at best and is redundant for anyone who uses an ad blocker. (Although I have found that ABS's tracking protection sometimes goes unnoticed by sites that usually stop you from visiting with an ad blocker, so it's a way of blocking ads on sites that normally don't allow you to do so.)
 

HarborFront

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I'm moving away from Google. I don't use Chrome but chromium-based browsers and, even then, I turned off the "Protect you and your device from dangerous site" which leads back to Google.

I have extra custom filters set in uBlock Origin from hpHosts like against fraud, phishing, malware etc but they still don't block many from malc0de and vxvault.net

With ABS many are blocked!
 

_CyberGhosT_

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I'm moving away from Google.
I like that you see this, not many do, google is attaching itself with octopus like tenticles to a lot
of the places and services that are trending or generate relevent traffic. I see it too. Earlier this week I
posted in my profile I had now got rid of all contacts in Gmail (It took 3mos to complete) seeing I use encrypted
Email. I could have done it quicker by closing the acct and creating a new one but I wanted to maintain my contacts
and be respectful, but I digress. Now that Google acct is for android devices only. I am also moving away from all services and sites that "Primarialy" rely on google services or its platform. Sadly, VT is one of them. And not just google, this goes for all the Big Data collecters.
But I agree Harbor with your decision to do this. I am planning ahead for the innovations and aggression that is on its way
where data collection is concerned.
Allowing the ISP's is just "one" step, there is a battle coming and data collectors that hone their skills
and evolve are going to be vastly rewarded. There are a few Big names that are Pro's where data collection is concerned, and they
now have the freedom to flex their muscles here in the US, call me what you want but remember I said this, the average joe does not see this coming and that I have no doubt about.
Right now is a good time, if you haven't already to start learning about your data, where it goes, who wants it, how to
limit collection. From here on out it will only get worse, taking positive steps and educating yourself right now is very smart.
 
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Evjl's Rain

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ABS >>>> hphosts + adguard filters + disconnect + stevenblack
resource usage: ABS > uBO with all above filters :) (lighter I mean). UBO with some filters is lighter but with too many filters is not light

the lightest but great alternative for ABS is norton safe web

I tried to open 23 tabs simultaneously, norton just used maximum 2% of CPU in my laptop while avira sometimes peaked ~10%

if you can use norton if you want because it doesn't slow you down and doesn't consume resource

I removed hphosts and other filters from uBO because they increase RAM usage of uBO and slow down the browsing speed. Blocking is not so effective
 
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Ink

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When you begin to concentrate on which blocks the most dangerous sites, it's no different than choosing an Antivirus with the highest detection ratios.

You have to question your browsing habits..

Arguing that Avira Browser Safety is the best Malware site blocker, but it's other features are mediocre or less at best. Surely this would raise a few eyebrows?

The article points out there are better alternatives, that have a dedicated purpose. For example, Ghostery is a powerful anti-tracker with the correct configuration. As with an Adblocker that blocks Web Advertising, and although not a browser extension, Unchecky will prevent unwanted software from getting installed. That's more than what can be said for Avira's (Browser Safety) PUA Protection.

Keep using ABS, if you want, but enjoy those green markers around every Google search results.

Don't forget on keeping your Antivirus software.

(Excluding those who prefer signature-less security, but even then, ABS would be redundant).
 

Evjl's Rain

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I think we, active users in MT, don't need Avira Browser Safety but novice users who don't know much about computer really need it. It limits the chance that malwares can get into their system and their AVs will have to do less work. Some of them don't have good AVs and most of them don't know what phishings are and don't know how to distinguish between paypal and a phishing paypal site
 
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