Yet another issue with ESET Cyber Security for macOS

[maverickws 0]

Unable to connect to iCloud IMAP using Apple Mail while Email Protection is activated on ESET Cyber Security.

Error message in Apple Mail:

Could not connect to this IMAP server. Check your network connection and that you entered the correct information in the Account preferences. Also verify that the server supports SSL. If it does not, deselect the Use TLS/SSL tick box in the Server Settings tab of Account preferences.

I performed the following actions to diagnose the issue:

• Cleared HSTS cache;
• Cleared NVRAM;
• Cleared SMC;

These actions had no effect.

Going to ESET and disabling Email Protection: email started working immediately.

[Marcos 5,074]

What ports do you have set up in ECS to listen on? Couldn't it be that you added POP3S/IMAPS ports in the list?

[maverickws 0]

Hi Marcos,

I haven't added any ports to no where. However, I did update macOS to 11.1 (from 11.0.z) before stop getting them mails.

The ports configured on the app are the standard ports for IMAP (as for POP), so I imagine that is how it is supposed to be, it wouldn't be an effective email protection if it was listening to HTTP ports.

[Marcos 5,074]

ESET CyberSecurity doesn't scan SSL communication, that's for sure. Therefore ports 995, 585 and 993 should not be listed there. I'll ask developers for clarification.

[maverickws 0]

Ok thanks will wait for the feedback. cheers.

[maverickws 0]

Any news on that feedback?

[Marcos 5,074]

I confirm that POP3/IMAPS ports are listed by default, however, I don't know the reason for that. It doesn't make sense to me. I'm waiting for clarification.

[maverickws 0]

Thank you Marcos, IIRC these ports have been listed there for a while. I assume what is encrypted is the connection between two endpoints, that doesn't prevent ESET from analysing the emails after they've come out of the encrypted link.

[maverickws 0]

Hi Marcus, do you have an update on this?

Also, sometimes after boot the VPN connection doesn't start which hangs my Mac while all apps and iCloud are trying to get internet connectivity. As our licenses are close to expire, we would like to know how much longer after Big Sur coming out will you take until delivering a properly working product.

[Marcos 5,074]

Not yet. Please remove POP3s and IMAPS ports from the list.

[Martin A 4]

Also waiting on this.  Mail and Spark don't work on MacOS 11.1 with ESET installed ☹️☹️☹️

I was hoping this would have been fixed by now.

[Martin A 4]

[Martin A 4]

I have to disable Email client protection in order to fetch emails.

[Marcos 5,074]

Does it work if you keep only ports 110 and 143 in the list of ports to scan?

[Martin A 4]

It also occasionally causes MacOS to freeze and crash on boot up.  This completely stopped once I had uninstalled ESET and occasionally happened again once I had reinstalled.  This happens with or without Email client protection enabled.

Quote

Does it work if you keep only ports 110 and 143 in the list of ports to scan?

Yes, I can fetch mail if I tell ESET to monitor only ports 110 and 143.

It doesn't solve anything though as I am not using ports 110 or 143, so, by setting it like this, I am in fact telling ESET not to monitor my email.

So yes, telling ESET not to monitor email lets email work just fine.

[Marcos 5,074]

Adding SSL ports to the list of ports won't enable scanning of POP3S/IMAPS communication. As to why those ports are in the list by default, I can't tell, still waiting for information from developers.

[maverickws 0]

2 hours ago, Martin A said:

It also occasionally causes MacOS to freeze and crash on boot up.  This completely stopped once I had uninstalled ESET and occasionally happened again once I had reinstalled.  This happens with or without Email client protection enabled.

Yes, I can fetch mail if I tell ESET to monitor only ports 110 and 143.

It doesn't solve anything though as I am not using ports 110 or 143, so, by setting it like this, I am in fact telling ESET not to monitor my email.

So yes, telling ESET not to monitor email lets email work just fine.

Hi Martin before I uninstalled ESET today I noticed there was an update this morning. All our email clients started going off, connectivity to network devices was affected, and other sparse issues here and there.

ESET had over a year (since the release of macOS Catalina) when it was widely announced that kernel extensions were being discontinued. If you go to Google and type "ESET legacy extension" you'll get thousands of images like this:

However, they waited until Big Sur came out to state that "due to the recent changes on macOS extensions" while being caught unprepared and impacting macOS customers, not giving a damn about it. I've been reporting these issues since November, so far I've had ZERO acceptable answers, the software keeps decreasing in quality to each update, and instead of implementing the network filter properly are just wasting time crippling us users.

[Marcos 5,074]

3 minutes ago, maverickws said:

However, they waited until Big Sur came out to state that "due to the recent changes on macOS extensions" while being caught unprepared and impacting macOS customers, not giving a damn about it.

In fact we started to work on system extensions more than a year ago when Apple introduced the concept of system extensions. It is also true that almost every AV vendor had issues to bring a product with full system extension support at the time of Big Sur release. While that's not meant to be an excuse, it shows that it was not an easy task.

ESET has communicated this clearly to our customers in https://support.eset.com/en/news7604-eset-support-of-macos-11-big-sur as well as on the download page.

[maverickws 0]

Not a discussion I'm looking to nurture. Please don't use other companies as example for what you have wrong. Since when is this even accepted as a plausible excuse? This is mind boggling.

Look up to the examples of who got it right instead of telling us the others who got it wrong.

[Marcos 5,074]

30 minutes ago, maverickws said:

Not a discussion I'm looking to nurture. Please don't use other companies as example for what you have wrong. Since when is this even accepted as a plausible excuse? This is mind boggling.

Look up to the examples of who got it right instead of telling us the others who got it wrong.

Actually I stated that it was not an excuse but clearly almost (if not all) AV vendors had a problem to bring all extensions compatible with Big Sur on time at the time of Big Sur release.

Quote

examples of who got it right

If possible, please provide some examples of vendors that had all extensions converted to system extensions at the time of Big Sur release.

[Martin A 4]

I can only assume Big Sur presented insurmountable challenges and these are why things are in a broken state.

Apple gave me fair warning ESET would be affected and I upgraded anyway, and seemingly overeagerly, because I assumed ESET would sort it out.  This is on me.

I am however a little dismayed it has taken this long, but it is what it is, and we all have more prescient challenges at hand.  I just hope they're working to resolve it as quickly as reasonably possible.

I have raised my issues because they are not highlighted or addressed in the Big Sur compatibility page and I don't appear to be the only one having this issue, so I expect many others are.

I can provide whatever you need from my end.  It would be helpful if we can keep things constructive and ultimately get it resolved as this is a real issue and it is currently causing my workstation to crash regularly at start-up and always leaves me exposed via email, both of which are unacceptable.

[Martin A 4]

I had another crash this morning due to ESET.

I can't even login to the forum as it errors when doing so and I have to use the password reset to gain access?!?

Is there any acknowledgment of the email issues and/or the crashes at startup?

[Marcos 5,074]

ESET doesn't scan HTTPS communication and doesn't perform SSL filtering so it shouldn't affect access to this forum. What kind of crash are you referring to? Did ESET crash? Or Mac OS? Do you have any details about the crash which make you believe it was caused by ESET?

[Martin A 4]

Access to the forum is not ESET related and probably due to a flaw in the forum's login mechanism.  I expect if I had a simpler password it would work.

RE the crash, the whole Mac crashes on a fresh boot shortly after logging in.  Everything freezes up and then it auto-restarts and displays a message stating it restarted because of a problem.  It started after upgrading to Big Sur and uninstalling ESET seems to resolve it.  I am fairly certain this is an ESET conflict of some kind and it happens a few times a month.

I will capture the report when this next happens to see if I can narrow it down.

[maverickws 0]

I confirm that the Mac crashes on a fresh boot shortly after login. I received an update from our local distributor saying there was an updated version of ESET, so I proceeded to install:

First error says its not meant for my OS version, as the new installer is for 10.12 to 11.0 but we're already on macOS 11.1 since December.

Second issue when enabling the extensions ESET Cyber Security appears duplicated.

Third issue after reboot the mac freezes until you have to force reboot. I assume this happens because of the -implementation of the network filter, that locks all internet access until it starts, making apps crash.

Forth Issue the problem with the emails keeps happening. This version has absolutely no difference from the last, all the issues continue exactly the same. I downloaded the installer from the link provided by our distributor, but also tried a second time going to the international ESET site, exactly the same issues.

The mediocrity around here stinks.