14 DAY TRIAL // Last week, an update made to Avast's security solution took down the Internet for users. Now, the company has released a fix for all your problems.
The fix, according to Avast, is being distributed via a micro-update to Avast Web Shield. If you want to download the fix, you'll have to turn off the Avast Web Shield which, in turn, will allow your Internet to work again. This, of course, was known from back when the problem occurred, as the company's forums were full of this solution.
You'll then have to go to Protections > Antivirus from the user interface and turn the Web Shield OFF. Alternatively, you can right-click the Avast tray icon, go to Avast shield control, and choose "disable permanently" so you can turn off all shields.
Then, you'll have to go to your Avast installation folder, which can usually be found in C:\Program Files\AVAST Software\Avast. There you'll need to double-click on the AvEmUpdate.exe file and confirm the prompt. The fix will be applied silently.
A few minutes of wait-time are required and then you'll need to restart your computer. Repeat the process to turn the Web Shield back on and you'll be safe again and be able to access the Internet once more.
Previous solutions worked too
The version that worked to solve the issue last week involved uninstalling the entire software from your computer and installing a fresh copy since the fix didn't apply via the regular update method.
Other options involved disabling the Web Shield or disabling Avast completely, but that put users at risk of getting infected. With WannaCry running rampant these days, it's probably not a good idea to nix security software on your device.