How to trust a program using Alert Mode?

Hi,


I am a Bitdefender subscriber of 5 years and now 10 devices.

When using the two mian PC's I choose higher protection and select "Alert Mode" in the firewall. The description of behaviour is "Gets alerts for applications to access the Internet and control each connection"

Please read the next bit carefully so you undersatnd my question; 😉

  • When an applications try to attempt the 1st time I get asked a question, for example Firefox. I then 'allow'
  • The 2nd, 3rd, 4th attempts to connect (and so on) by FF to connect are allowed as I have approved FireFox through the wall.
  • But if the program updates ANYTHING to itself Bitdefender requires me to 're-allow', saying "Application has changed and requests access to internet"

Ask you probably know many programs update frequently, so how can I have "Alert Mode" on but simply tell Bitdefender to allow all from Chrome or Firefox etc, etc?


It seems to be either continual interuption, (for applications I have already approved) or if I switch Alert Mode off it virtually never tells me anything, which is a problem because I do block numerous applications from connecting to the net.


I am starting to consider spending our annual subscription elsewhere because "Alert/Learning" has been available in firewalls for over 15 years!

Answers

  • Scott
    Scott ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited April 2023

    Hi @JadoTech

    See if anything in this thread is helpful, or confirms what you're going through. Then Alexandru's concluding post on April 6th (it's a short thread). Click on View Post


    Kind Regards,

    Scott

    All Bitdefender Home Product User Guides: https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/user-guides/ Using BD Antivirus Plus along with Glasswire free.

  • JadoTech
    edited April 2023

    So basically you're saying that I need to approve dozens and dozens of requests for Firefox, Google Chrome etc just so I can block Windows Phone (and other useless and potentially harmful software) Instead of approving Firefox once, google chrome once and blocking Windows Phone once?


    I think Bitdefender just lost my subscription renewal!


    I wonder how many other customers want their firewall to remember the choices of inividual programs but havn't bothered to comment, and just choose to spend their their cash on something with a basic feature of firewalls from the early 2000's?


  • JadoTech
    edited April 2023

    So thanks for your comment but that is awful and Bitdefnder has just lost my subscription renewal for sure!


    What this means is I need to approve Firefox and Google Chrome dozens and dozens of times just to block useless program connections such as "Windows Phone".


    How many other Bitdefender customers simply migrate to something else when they discover the lack of preference-memory for individual programs ? Maybe hundreds? Possibly over a 1000, could there be 5000 other customers who only want to approve Firefox once, Google Chrome once and deny Windows Phone once? I speculate that there might be more than 5000 who do not want to be annoyed unessasarily on an ongoing basis......how much revenue is Bitdefender losing to other firewalls with this simple feature?