Summary
Resolving Avast false positive phishing detections requires a multi-pronged approach. The primary step is to report the false positive directly to Avast, using their web form or email, and provide detailed information, including screenshots and Avast's bottom-left corner code. Simultaneously, checking the flagged file or URL with VirusTotal or other AV scanners can help determine if the detection is unique to Avast or a broader issue. Maintaining good email practices, such as using valid SSL certificates, reviewing content for spam triggers, and checking IP reputation, can prevent future false positives. If issues persist, direct contact with Avast support and, in some extreme cases, escalating to executive levels may be necessary. It's also crucial to keep systems malware-free and whitelist responsibly.
Key findings
- Direct Reporting to Avast: Submit false positives to Avast via web form or email, including detailed info and the Avast code.
- Secondary AV Scan: Use VirusTotal or other scanners to check for widespread detection, indicating a genuine threat.
- IP Reputation Check: Verify that your sending IP is not blacklisted to avoid being incorrectly flagged.
- Content Review: Eliminate potential phishing triggers like URL shorteners and suspicious language from emails.
- SSL Certificate Validation: Ensure SSL certificates are valid and up-to-date to avoid triggering security flags.
Key considerations
- Persistence Required: Resolving false positives may take time and require multiple attempts to contact Avast support.
- Whitelisting Risks: Only whitelist items you are 100% sure are safe, as this could expose you to real threats.
- Proactive Prevention: Good email practices, SSL validity, and malware checks can reduce the likelihood of future false positives.
- Documentation Importance: Accurate and detailed documentation of the issue will help streamline the reporting process with Avast.
- Escalation Path: In difficult cases, escalating the issue to higher levels of Avast support or even executive contacts might be necessary.
What email marketers say
12 marketer opinions
Resolving false positive phishing detections by Avast antivirus involves a multi-faceted approach. Key strategies include reporting the issue directly to Avast through their web form or email support, providing detailed information and screenshots. It's also advisable to check the file or website using VirusTotal or a secondary AV scanner to confirm if it's a widespread detection or a false positive specific to Avast. Other recommendations include whitelisting the file or website in Avast (if you're sure it's safe), ensuring your website's SSL certificate is valid, reviewing your email content for suspicious keywords, checking your sending IP's reputation, and performing regular malware scans on your systems.
Key opinions
- Report to Avast: Report the false positive directly to Avast via their website form or email support, providing detailed information and screenshots.
- Secondary Scan: Use VirusTotal or a secondary AV scanner to verify if the detection is widespread or specific to Avast.
- Whitelist: If confident in the file/website's safety, whitelist it in Avast to prevent future false positives.
- Check IP Reputation: Ensure your sending IP address has a good reputation to avoid being flagged as a source of phishing.
- Content Review: Review email content for potentially triggering keywords and phrases, aiming for a legitimate appearance.
Key considerations
- Persistence: Resolving false positives can take time and may require repeated follow-up with Avast support.
- Whitelisting Risks: Only whitelist files or websites if you are absolutely certain they are safe, as whitelisting could expose you to actual threats.
- Holistic Approach: Employ multiple strategies, including reporting, scanning, and content review, for the best chance of resolution.
- SSL Certificate: Make sure your SSL Certificate is Valid, Invalid certificates can trigger false positive detections.
- Regular Malware Scan: Run regular malware scans on your servers and computers to ensure they are not infected with malware that could be triggering the false positives
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks shares the solution to the Avast false positive issue: reporting the problem through the web form and one of the email addresses provided by Damon (<mailto:customer.support@avast.com|customer.support@avast.com>), having the customer report the issue from their business email, and attaching both a marked-as-phishing email header and a screenshot with the Avast bottom-left corner code. They got a positive answer within 24 hours.
20 Dec 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Email marketer from HowToGeek explains how to whitelist a file or website in Avast to prevent future false positive detections. This should only be done if you are sure the file or website is safe.
10 Apr 2022 - HowToGeek
What the experts say
3 expert opinions
Resolving false positive phishing detections by Avast involves directly reporting the issue via Avast's designated channels and providing detailed information about the flagged content. Reviewing email content to avoid triggering spam or phishing filters is also crucial.
Key opinions
- Direct Reporting: Report false positives directly to Avast through their official false positive reporting form.
- Detailed Information: Provide comprehensive details about the falsely flagged content to assist Avast in their investigation.
- Content Review: Carefully examine email content to identify and eliminate any elements that might be mistakenly identified as phishing attempts.
Key considerations
- Communication: Establishing open communication with AV vendors is crucial for resolving false positives effectively.
- Spam Triggers: Be mindful of common spam and phishing triggers in email content, such as URL shorteners and suspicious language.
- Avast's Database: Avast maintains its own database, requiring direct submissions for analysis and resolution of false positives.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise explains to review your email content for anything that might trigger a phishing flag. This includes URL shorteners, suspicious language, and anything that might be considered 'spammy'.
16 Jul 2021 - Word to the Wise
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks shares the Avast website link for reporting false positives: <https://www.avast.com/false-positive-file-form.php> and explains that they maintain their own database, so direct reporting is necessary.
16 Oct 2021 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Resolving false positive phishing detections involves submitting the flagged file or URL for analysis. Avast provides an online submission form for this purpose. While Microsoft Defender's submission process offers a similar approach, using VirusTotal allows you to analyze files and URLs with multiple antivirus engines to determine if the detection is unique to one vendor or a broader concern. Additionally, adhering to general anti-phishing guidelines from sources like SANS.org helps to ensure that your content is not genuinely suspicious and less likely to be falsely flagged.
Key findings
- Direct Submission: Submit flagged files/URLs directly to Avast's virus lab for analysis using their online form.
- Multi-Engine Analysis: Utilize VirusTotal to analyze files/URLs with multiple antivirus engines, helping to identify if the detection is a false positive specific to one vendor.
- Process Parallels: Microsoft Defender's submission process provides a comparable approach for handling potential false positives.
Key considerations
- Proactive Prevention: Following general anti-phishing guidelines can reduce the likelihood of your content being falsely flagged as malicious.
- Third-Party Validation: VirusTotal offers a valuable third-party validation step to assess the legitimacy of antivirus detections.
- Vendor-Specific Processes: Each antivirus vendor may have its own specific process for reporting and resolving false positives.
Technical article
Documentation from SANS.org offers general advice on avoiding phishing tactics, such as checking links carefully and avoiding suspicious attachments. While not directly about false positives, following these guidelines will help to be sure you don't spread actual phishing.
15 May 2022 - SANS.org
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft.com explains how to submit files for analysis if Microsoft Defender is flagging them as malicious. While not directly Avast, this outlines a similar process for another major AV vendor.
25 Oct 2022 - Microsoft.com
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