Rant: Filezilla effectively loaded Avast without asking.

Chris Wilson · 6 Sep 2019 at 21:44

I have used Filezilla for FTP for donkey's years, and it was pretty much the final app I loaded last night on a new PC. I realized it had a funny file name suggesting it was adware, but a read said you could deselect it loading additional software so I was very careful, but the option to deselect literally flashed on and off the screen far faster than any human could react to and it started loading Avast as a background task. To say I was livid was an understatement as I was building a minimalist system for a particular usage.

LUCKILY I had a system restore available from not too far back. Before doing this I looked in the registry and found a vast amount of .dat files associated with the install that allegedly call other downloads at unpredictable times. There are reams of posts from furious users about this online. I then found deeply buried an option to download a version of Filezilla on the manufacturers pages that allegedly doesn't load adware, but I was now not going to risk future updates doing naughty things and plumped for WinSCP instead. Is the none adware version still OK, or have they burnt their boats and people now avoid it?

jpaul · 7 Sep 2019 at 10:58

you're sure it was the real avast ? https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=195048.45 not something masquerading as it - got it from a bona-fide location ?

I didn't know system restore was necessarily sufficient to back out of malware ... but assume virus scanner should pick up anything too bad from an install package.

Semple · 7 Sep 2019 at 11:03

I've never had this faff downloading Filezilla, albeit i normally download the install bits via the zip file rather than just the executable.

You definitely sure you downloading from the correct site?

Chris Wilson · 7 Sep 2019 at 12:16

I am not saying it downloaded malware or a virus, but what it did effectively do is download and install Avast, which is owned by the the same company as CClean and Filezilla, without a realistic chance of making the choice for it NOT to do this. I have chickened out and done an image restore using Macrium Reflect and spent a while reinstalling apps installed after the image was made. Google will show myriads of irate users who have suffered the same Avast install without time to deselect the "option".

This was the download site, the proper home pages:

https://filezilla-project.org/download.php

Much talk of this:

https://www.google.com/search?lr=&a...hUKEwj0jLW_yr7kAhVEQkEAHUU_Av0Q4dUDCAs&uact=5

darael · 7 Sep 2019 at 12:19

Filezilla does attempt to install Avast! during setup, I verified this for myself on a virtual machine. You probably just missed the screen, which is easily done if you're spamming the next button.

Interestingly ESET detected FusionCore in lumkuzdns.dll when extracting the installer with 7-Zip. It seems that a few more people aren't amused about it either here, but others are dismissing the bloatware by saying your AV is broken or you should read. Sorry, but companies shouldn't load their software up with bloatware.

chroniclard · 7 Sep 2019 at 12:20

Used Filezilla for ages and that Avast selection screen has been in the installer for a long time.

DarrenM343 · 8 Sep 2019 at 08:45

I just get the zipped portable version if available when downloading any opensource software. No install wizard, just unzip into a folder and create a shortcut and place on desktop. Install done

. Often if you navigate the other downloads section there will be a zipped version to download.

Scort · 9 Sep 2019 at 12:36

Maybe grab it from https://ninite.com/ - never had any such issues with installers grabbed from here.

Chris Wilson · 9 Sep 2019 at 15:37

Thanks, I have settled for WinSCP for now, left a nasty taste finding how they whizz it through, seems the company have a different user policy nowadays. Shame, it is an excellent FTP app...

darael · 9 Sep 2019 at 17:41

Use the portable version, bloat-free:
https://portableapps.com/apps/internet/filezilla_portable

jpaul · 9 Sep 2019 at 22:19

I thought bulk FTP'ing / download engines were a thing of the past from before the torrent era, when media was broken into many lumps ...
so I am intrigued as to what the actual application is ?

d_brennen · 9 Sep 2019 at 22:22

jpaul said:
I thought bulk FTP'ing / download engines were a thing of the past from before the torrent era, when media was broken into many lumps ...
so I am intrigued as to what the actual application is ?

There's about a billion reasons to have FTP server/client software

Rannoch · 9 Sep 2019 at 23:16

Great software, you may have missed the tick box on install.

Moley · 9 Sep 2019 at 23:26

Just downloaded the installed and ran it and I can confirm it asks you if you want to install avast.

Don't go blaming a perfectly good bit of software for your impatiently clicking through the installer and not paying attention to what you are installing on your own machine. :rolleyes:

Bob Lewis · 11 Sep 2019 at 17:32

Ugh--the same thing happened to me. Simply because there's a checkbox to check or that it's been there forever doesn't make it any less annoying IMO. I just tried WebDrive and have been really happy with it, if you are still looking for something else.

bad_ass_neil · 13 Sep 2019 at 13:22

be careful with Filezilla there were reports of install files containing malware on some of there download links.
https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/d3a3ic/filezilla_3442_download_link_compromised_windows/