We are preparing a patch that we will provide to the small number of users affected as soon as possible.

But while many other strains of ransomware focus on personal files like documents or photos, Petya can lock up your entire hard drive, preventing your computer from booting up at all.

We have identified that the problem is caused by an update issue of the dynamic link library (dll), which is part of the WebShield feature. Petya encrypts certain files on your computer, then demands a ransom payment in exchange for a decryption key.

UPDATE : An Avast spokesperson told Bleeping Computer the following: Barely two weeks ago, the Webroot antivirus flagged core Windows OS files as malicious and started moving a few to quarantine, effectively trashing customers' computers.īy this point in time, almost every major antivirus maker has faced with these types of snafus. This is not the first time an antivirus goes bonkers. That did the trick.'Īn Avast spokesperson did not respond to Bleeping Computer's request for comment, so we can't know for sure how much of Avast's userbase is affected. It didn't help,' an Avast user wrote on their forum. Later, Avast team members started recommending the same thing. Instead of turning it totally off, we suggest that you modify the settings. While users could still connect to the Internet after they temporarily disabling the Avast antivirus, some users reported fixing the issue for good by uninstalling the antivirus and performing a clean install. Avast Cleanup is a standalone optimization tool that cleans and speeds up your system by removing bloatware, trialware, adware, and other unwanted junk so that your computer is running in its most optimal state. Many of these complaining users reported they were using Avast's free antivirus version. Hours after the update, users started complaining about the problem, flocking to the company's support forum. The issue seems to have been caused by an update Avast released late Wednesday night. An update to the Avast antivirus has blocked users' ability to access the Internet, most customers needing to disable the antivirus in order to be able to get online (and complain to Avast).

Avast locking up computer