Submitting Suspected False Positives

 

If you believe our Antivirus is falsely detecting a file as malicious (which may occur due to new virus definitions being added to the application database), you can send the file to us for analysis. This can be done in several ways:

• Directly from the Avast local client's Quarantine
• Using the Avast sample submission web form (URLs can also be reported this way)
• Via the Avast FTP server

Note that you will not receive any feedback regarding your submission, as the submitted files/URLs are automatically sent to our Threat Labs. Please allow at least a few business days for the submitted files/URLs to be analyzed. If our Threat Labs representatives confirm false positives, the Antivirus client should automatically receive the update within the following 24 hours.

If for any reason you cannot provide the file, you can still report the issue by sending us the related detection ID (see Reporting False Positives When Sample Submission Is Not Possible at the bottom of the page for more information).

Submitting Files Directly From Quarantine

You can send a quarantined file to our Threat Labs straight from the local client by following these steps:

1. From the client UI, go to Protection > Quarantine

2. Click the actions menu (three dots) next to the file you believe is a false positive
3. Select Send for analysis

4. In the pop-up dialog, select False positive, provide any details regarding the file (optional), then click Send

Note that the default file size limit for quarantined items is 16384 KB. You can modify this limit in the client's Geek Area settings.

Submitting Files or URLs via Sample Submission Form

Another way to submit files for analysis is via the Avast sample submission form. This submission method also provides the option to report URLs you believe are falsely detected as malicious.

Note that the file size limit is 50 MB. For submitting larger files, we recommend using the Avast FTP Server.

Submitting Files via Avast FTP Server

You can also use our Avast FTP server to submit any suspected false positives. This is the best way to submit larger files. For detailed instructions, see Uploading Files to Avast FTP Server.

Reporting False Positives When Sample Submission Is Not Possible

If you are unable to provide a copy of the suspected false positive, please get in touch with our Business Support and provide our agents with the detection ID that's displayed at the bottom of the Antivirus threat detection dialog.